Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bu-cs!madd
From: madd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Jim Frost)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: big disks on PC AT clones
Message-ID: <22257@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 1 May 88 23:21:03 GMT
References: <21346@amdcad.AMD.COM> <3402@tekgvs.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: madd@bu-it.bu.edu (Jim Frost)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Boston University Distributed Systems Group
Lines: 37

In article <3402@tekgvs.TEK.COM> keithe@tekgvs.UUCP (Keith Ericson) writes:
|Both VFD and SpeedStore have the capability of making your large disk into a
|single (large) partition. VFD can even span one partition over multiple disk
|drives. (Why?)

Lots of reasons.  From a hacker point of view, you have more
read-write heads and can get better performance.  This is usually moot
because you only tend to combine smaller, slower drives into large
partitions, not large fast ones.  From a secretary point of view, you
don't have to remember which disk whatever is on.  Trust me, the
concept of multiple hard disks is over the head of a good number of
secretaries.  Come to think of it, the concept of a wordprocessor is
too.  From a accountant's point of view, it can be cheaper to buy two
dirt-cheap tiny drives and make them act like one expensive big one.
This is becoming less of a motive as big drive prices hit rock bottom.

|VFD has this lousy copy protection, however, that I absolutely detest. I
|play around with far too many computers, drives, users, offices,
|locations, whatever, to be stuck with worrying about uninstalling some
|software before I take the machine apart. I've quit using - and
|recommending - VFD soley because of this difficulty.

This is true -- I'd forgotten.  VFD makes you make "working disks".
This has both good and bad points.  Good point is it's a
forced-backup.  Bad point is it's a pain in the neck.  It doesn't seem
to care how many "working disks" you have, though, since I've made
quite a few without complaints.

The copy-protection is a minimal setback that I'd probably overlook
only because you really don't have to use the disk very often, and the
working disks are used, not the original.  It's a pain to get started
with the system, but smooth afterward.  I abhor copy protection, but a
protection method that requires you to backup your original in order
to use it has at least some merit.

jim frost
madd@bu-it.bu.edu