Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dhmst1
From: dhmst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Daniel H Marx)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: Harddisk sizes in laptops
Message-ID: <113691@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 91 15:32:23 GMT
References: <2602@borg.cs.unc.edu>
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Lines: 30

In article <2602@borg.cs.unc.edu> hardarso@currituck.cs.unc.edu (Kari Hardarson) writes:
>If you intend to use a laptop as your sole computer, maybe you should
>stick around and wait for a 40meg harddrive. 20meg just don't cut it
>anymore, unless you're willing to stick with the old versions of your
>favourite software. Here's an example:
>I tested the new Norton utilities version 5.0 the other day. FileFind,
>a program that searches the entire disk for a given file, used to be
>12-15k in size. It now supports mouse,help,the botswana GD-14 display
>adapter  -  and is a whooping 150k in size. What started out as a nice
>toolbox is now a bloated business package that takes 3 HD diskettes...

I agree.  Especially when considering a laptop, I would pay particular 
attention to the size of the hard drive.  A laptop provides the convenience
of portability so you end up taking it with you to various places.  However,
when on the road, usually, if it's not on your hard drive, you don't own it.
At home or the office, it's easy to reach over, pick a diskette and load
whatever you want.  On the road, I tend not to bring my diskettes with me so
I find I rely totally on the hard drive.

But I have a question, Kari.  What didn't you like about Norton 4.5?  I
sometimes wonder why we always rush to but the "biggest and newest".

Lastly, I recently installed STACKER on my hard drive.  I think that if you
have a laptop and a small hard drive, STACKER is wonderful.  The only problem
I've found is that it doesn't work with all caches.  I currently use PC-Cache
from PCTools Deluxe v6.0 without any problems.  STACKER does slow down I/O
reads by about 100%.  Therefore, if it used to take 1 second to load something
it now takes 2 seconds.  From my human point of view, this is insignificant.

Dan Marx              Too lazy to creat a signature.