Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!INFOODS.MIT.EDU!KLENSIN
From: KLENSIN@INFOODS.MIT.EDU (John C Klensin)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Media Master
Message-ID: <880411073645.00000364041@INFOODS.MIT.EDU>
Date: 11 Apr 88 12:36:45 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 52

Roger,
  Don't know what version of MediaMaster you are using, but, from our
experience, it sounds like you have gotten a different product from a
different company.  We have (usually) found them very responsive when we
have called them, and have used versions of MediaMaster... 
 1) On Rainbows, under CP/M86-80, to read and write SSDD PCDOS
diskettes, SS Osborne diskettes, Kaypro diskettes (subject to the bug
earlier mentioned), SuperBrain diskettes, and a few other things. Most 
of these require driving the 80 track drive in every-other-track mode 
and we have had few problems (the ones we have had *can* be attributed 
to individual diskettes or source machines, since others from the same 
type of machines and software have worked and the problems have been 
tracked back to slightly out-of-alignment drives or otherwise 
mis-recording).
  2) On DDOsborne Is, reading and writing IBM PC PCDOS diskettes (the DD
Ozzie handles most of the CP/M formats that it can handle at all
internally, so MediaMaster has not been needed -- but we have used MM on
the Ozzie to format diskettes in the formats of a few other systems and
used those diskettes successfully thereafter). 
  3) On the IBM PC, to read and write a number of CP/M formats, and 
several deviant MSDOS formats.  We had no problems with any of these 
that were within the limitations of the controller (e.g., I know of no 
one who has succeeded in getting a PC or PC/XT diskette controller to 
deal with single density diskettes, and MediaMaster seems to be a good 
program, not a miracle.  Recently, we added a replacement controller and
a 1.2Mb drive to one of the XTs, with the intention of being able to 
read and write Rainbow 400Kb floppies on the XT.  Media Master manages 
to make that work too, for both Rainbow MSDOS and CP/M formats, but, at 
present, seems to leave the controller in an indeterminate state (i.e., 
MM works fine, but, once we leave it, we need to reboot the machine in 
order to use the diskette drives again).  The problem is likely with the 
controller, or the XT BIOS, but Intersecting Concepts (Media Master) has 
been reasonably helpful to us with trying to debug that too.

We've even made design suggestions to them, and a fair number have shown 
up in subsequent versions.  The only thing we've asked for that they 
have not done is support for VMS Files-11 formats on the Rainbow, and I 
understand and sympathize with their reasons.

I've tried their CP/M software emulator for the IBM PC, and it seems to 
work, but, other than assembling a few programs, I haven't pushed it 
hard enough to have a good opinion.

As I say, I think we may be using a different product, from a different 
company.  Or one of us has weird hardware.

   John Klensin, Klensin@INFOODS.MIT.EDU
-----------
No, we have no affiliation with Intersecting Concepts or Media Master.  
Just reasonably satisfied customers (I'm rarely completely satisfied 
with anything I haven't designed and/or written myself, and not often 
those).