Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watrose.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watrose!dmmartindale From: dmmartindale@watrose.UUCP (Dave Martindale) Newsgroups: net.usenix Subject: Re: USENIX incompetence Message-ID: <120@watrose.UUCP> Date: Mon, 12-Dec-83 00:06:10 EST Article-I.D.: watrose.120 Posted: Mon Dec 12 00:06:10 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Dec-83 04:48:50 EST References: <3699@genrad.UUCP> Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 14 I have seen perfectly good tape which had the duller of the two sides out. The backing of the tape was actually duller than the oxide - it may have been some kind of coating to keep it from curling, or to reduce static electricity problems. In any case, given modern tape drives, it would be rather unlikely for someone to ship you a tape with the oxide on the wrong side. Since the drive reads what it has written after writing it, the USENIX people would have to either reverse the tape after writing it (!), or not bother writing on it at all. Most likely, you got a perfectly good tape that didn't match your idea of where the "dull side" should be. Did you, perchance, try reading it before sending it back?