Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ukma!rutgers!cmcl2!ccnysci!alexis
From: alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: MAC 40-80MB HARD DRIVE RECOMMENDATIONS????
Message-ID: <1800@ccnysci.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 89 08:33:05 GMT
References: <82800CXP120@PSUVM> <23486@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <93537@felix.UUCP>
Reply-To: alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Organization: City College of New York
Lines: 31

In article <93537@felix.UUCP> kehr@felix.UUCP (Shirley Kehr) writes:
>There is an interesting discussion of the Quantum ProDrive 80S in the
>25 April MacWEEK (MacInTouch column). [etc.]
>
>While they felt that Apple's HD SC Setup 2.0, FWB's PocketInstall,
>Ruby Systems' StarDisk and Microtech's Format have the essentials right,
>they faulted Apple and Microtech for calculating the interleave factor
>automatically without giving the user the option to override. (creates
>performance problems if you want to format on an SE/30 and move to
>an older machine)

They blew it.

These drives have a cache, which means that the correct interleave
is ALWAYS 1:1 no matter what you attach them to.

I'm surprised to see this; those guys are usually on the ball, technically.

There is a speed issue that relates to the drivers, which may or may not
be what Apple's doing. The cache I mentioned is more than a track cache,
and you can speed things up noticeably if you make use of it properly.
So far, I don't know of anyone who does, but maybe Apple's finally taken
that step.

BTW, MicroNet also sells these drives. Their software is about on a par
with everyone else's.

---
Alexis Rosen
alexis@ccnysci.{uucp,bitnet}
alexis@rascal.ics.utexas.edu  (last resort)