Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!usenet From: gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: 20 Meg floppies Message-ID: Date: 3 May 91 17:26:41 GMT References: <8*5Gu51=1@cs.psu.edu> Lines: 34 Nntp-Posting-Host: eclipse.its.rpi.edu In article <8*5Gu51=1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes: > > In article gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu (Garance A. Drosehn) writes: > > >While I'd love to have larger capacity floppies, I still prefer CD-ROM as a > >distribution medium. I have had drive problems (or operator error...) wipe > >out a floppy disk that I was installing from. ...(etc)... > > How are people backing up their disks? I heard a few complaints from > people who considered buying a NeXT that one must buy a tape drive in > order to do this in a reasonble manner. Most people aren't going to > want to spend $$$ a piece for two different pieces of hardware. I > guess that NeXT could offer both, but shipping the NeXTs with 20MB > floppies would be a definite plus. Since other computer companies are > almost sure to use them, 20MB floppies could make transfering files > among machines easier. Good points. Let me modify my previous comment to say I'd like the *option* of getting larger products (operating system upgrades in particular) on CD-ROM instead of floppies. I'd like a CD-ROM unit for a number of reasons, but if someone only has the money for a 20Meg floppy unit or a CD-ROM unit then the floppy will be a lot more useful. Other companies are also distributing things on CD-ROM though, particularly for huge database-type things. CD-ROM is certainly starting to take off in the Mac area, for instance, and I imagine in the PC area too (although I don't know enough about PC's to say for sure). - - - - - - - - Garance Alistair Drosehn = gad@rpi.edu or gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu ITS Systems Programmer (handles NeXT-type mail) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy NY USA