Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!rochester!rocksanne!xrxns!xerox12!toml
From: toml@xerox12.UUCP (Tom Love)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: BMS controller package
Message-ID: <271@xrxns.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 87 13:54:07 GMT
References: <3217@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <945@ssc.UUCP> <1318@water.waterloo.edu>
Sender: nobody@xrxns.UUCP
Reply-To: toml@xerox12.UUCP (Tom Love)
Organization: EDDS/CAD, Xerox Corp., Leesburg, Va.
Lines: 57


re: bugs in bms package - 

i've been running a bms-based hard disk system since last january.
the only bugs i have ever encountered were software bugs.  recall that
the bms adapter board has a battery-backed clock.  it seems that chris
rhodin, the guy who runs bms and does the development, made a very small
but important error in the clock-setting program (settime.prg, i think -
the one that goes in your auto folder) which screwed up on february.  
actually it was kind of humorous.  never affected hard disk use at all.
he found the problem feb. 1 1987, and had updated software out in the mail
to everyone shortly thereafter.

i'm mainly posting this to stop what could be a harmful rumor.  i am a
very satisfied customer of berkeley microsystems.  their product is 
reasonably priced, in my opinion, and their telephone support is superb
(of course, before they had any documentation, it had to be! :-)

the bms-100 adapter has evolved somewhat;  it is supposedly laid out more
attractively on the board, it is pretty well documented, the software has 
all been rewritten.  it's a pretty mature product now.

if there were hardware bugs, i would be interested in hearing about them.
if not, please don't do bms any disservice by spreading such rumors.

one more note:  i wrote an article for ST Applications magazine last spring
detailing the construction of a bms-based hard disk system for the ST.
it covers all the details of a single-HD system, and vaguely addresses
the double-HD system too (at that time i only had one HD).  it appeared
in march 87, i think.  at that time i offered to mail out copies, in 
either electronic or paper form, to anyone who requested one.  that
offer still stands.  note that the electronic form omits the graphics
(done on my cad system at work, not on the st), so if you want the whole
thing you should buy the magazine or request the paper copy from me.
if you want electronic, mail me at the address below;  if you want paper,
send me a self-addressed stamped envelope to the postal address below.


tom love
Xerox Engineering Design and Documentation Systems
Leesburg, VA 22075    (703)729-8000 

{cornell, kodak, ritcv, rutgers, cmcl2, llxn}!rochester!
                                                       rocksanne!xrxns!toml
                                    {rocksvax, sunybcs}! 

rt 2, box 277
sterling, va 22170


tom love
xerox Engineering Design and Documentation Systems
leesburg, va 22075    (703)729-8000 

{cornell, kodak, ritcv, rutgers, cmcl2, llxn}!rochester!
                                                        rocksanne!xrxns!toml
                                    {rocksvax, sunybcs}!