Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ucla-cs!ucla-se!curtiss!plinio From: plinio@curtiss.seas.ucla.edu (Plinio Barbeito) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Glendale Conference Impressions Summary: SCSI drives vs. slightly larger capacity floppies Message-ID: <2636@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> Date: 2 May 91 04:22:23 GMT References: <12733@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> <2623@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> <1991May1.180512.2572@cs.ucla.edu> Sender: news@SEAS.UCLA.EDU Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles Lines: 84 In article <1991May1.180512.2572@cs.ucla.edu> stephen@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Steve Whitney) writes: >In article <2623@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> plinio@babbage.seas.ucla.edu (Plinio Barbeito) writes: >`In article <12733@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> kiki@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Jack W. Wine) writes: ... >`...It would raise the cost of small software, until the >`21M floppies come down in price, but it would simplify backups without >`requiring the purchase of a tape drive. Would I go so far as to say, >`skip the 20.8's and go on to Syquest? I can't stick those things in a >`shirt pocket, or in a folder, for that matter. IMHO, 5.25" is a step >`backwards. > >Well, it would do more than that. As Bob mentioned, parts of GEMDOS (BIOS >and/or XBIOS?) are closely wed to that controller. If they used a new >controller, it would be very difficult to make it appear to be the WD1772, >and software that talks to the contorller would also fail. This would only matter to copy-protected games that use a disk-based copy protection scheme. Because the O/S provides fast and flexible disk routines, the vast majority of software doesn't re-invent the wheel and uses them, even many slick games. I realize that Atari considers the rule-breaking games an important asset in its software base. However, eventually they are going to have to make the jump to higher density media. How large a jump should be made without creating 3 different formats? What format will most packaged software start coming out in? If the jump isn't large enough, companies won't bother to use the larger format, try to sell to a larger base, and just ship a bunch of 720K disks that the user is going to have to swap in and out and that will limit the size of executables. If one jumps all the way out to 21M, things become easy that were once inconvenient or impossible, and a software company might release a product in that format simply because it adds so much to the capabilities compared to other packages coming out in the small format. Let's take the example of a game. High speed sound samples and pictures take up a lot of space. With 21M available, these things become pratical; you can sprinkle them liberally throughout the software, benefitting creativity. Someone might be tempted to release a Mega-game in that format, pulling customers towards the new technology like flies. Moreover the samples and executables wouldn't take 5 minutes to load because: 1) transfer rate would be radically faster, 2) decompression would not be needed, 3) You can use DMA. As long as we stick with 720K, there's only so many high-speed samples you have access to at once. Improvements would be similar with business software, including the fact that users wouldn't have to worry about installation (yet), already giving the software an ease-of-use advantage. >Another problem is that Western Digital told ATari that there would no longer >be a WD1772. What do you put in 1040STEs? SCSI floppies would be awfully >expensive for a low-end machine. Right now, yes. I like the idea of seeing very cheap hardware available. It does wonders to increase the market share. But eventually these people try to do serious things with their machines and will come to the conclusion that one, 800K drive is not enough for their needs and will want to upgrade their hardware. When they do, Atari should be ready for them with a standard. What I am saying is they should be hinting at developers and users that the standard they should upgrade to is 20.8 megs by using the technology in the high-end machines. Even today a $300 20M drive would already be a cost-saving option for the Mega STE. Get rid of the hard disk and floppy and replace it with one unit. In the future, it is not unreasonable to expect that the price of the 20.8 megs will come down to a more affordable level, making them practical even on low-end machines. Lastly, there is the competitive factor. A few people will make the decision on whether to buy or not to buy a computer based on whether they offer better hardware than the competition. If 720K is all that's available, they may be prompted to look at a different system. Cheap clones commonly come with 1.2 or 1.4M drives and hard disks now, making 800K seem less functional and therefore less attractive. In all of this I am assuming that the media cost of the 20.8's will be affordable. If not, then all of this is garbage. 1/2 :-) -- ----- ---- --- -- ------ ---- --- -- - - - plinio@seas.ucla.edu I speak for myself, not for my employer. I am a bad ventriloquist, anyway.