============================================================================== [ THE KAY*FOG RBBS | Filename=CPM-CC23.ART | posted 07/05/86 | 201 lines 11k ] The CP/M Connection Originally published in by Computer Currents Ted Silveira 5720 Hollis Street (copyright and all rights reserved) Emeryville, CA 94608 March 25, 1986 HARD DISKS FOR CP/M Is there a floppy disk user alive who doesn't sometimes long for a hard disk, something huge and fast to cure the floppy shuffle? And is there a CP/M user anywhere who hasn't watched with envy and frustration as hard disk prices for IBM-compatibles dropped down and down and down-- $1000, $800, $500--while the price of CP/M hard disks stayed nailed at $1500? I wish I could tell you that CP/M hard disks were going to be as cheap as PC hard disks starting today, but it isn't so. And I don't think it's ever going to be so. First, the CP/M market may be two million (depending on your source) but the MS-DOS market is twice that or more . . . and still growing like mad. The more you can sell, the less profit you need on each one. Second, to market a hard disk for IBM-compatibles, you need only one standard set of hardware that plugs into a standard slot and one standard set of software to control it. To market a hard disk for CP/M computers, you not only need different software for each different brand of computer (sometimes even for different models of the same brand) but also special adapter boards, interfaces, and other expensive junk for each different computer, since most CP/M machines were never designed to be expandable. Put it all together and it means that the economy of scale is on the IBM-compatible's side and always will be, until the next wave comes along. But all the same, things are looking up for the CP/M user. The price of hard disks for CP/M is dropping, not to the garage sale prices of IBM-compatible hard disks perhaps, but down to discount store prices at least. What's more, several CP/M hardware developers have come out with universal (almost) interfaces that make it relatively easy to install a hard disk on a wide variety of CP/M computers. If you thought a hard disk was out of your range before, it's time to reconsider. [Pros and Cons] A hard disk gives you two advantages--space and speed. Even a 5 megabyte hard disk, a runt by today's standards, gives space undreamed of by any floppy disk user (5,242,880 bytes to be exact). And now 10 and 20 megabyte hard disks are the standard, the 20 being a better deal since it usually sells for only $100 or so more than the 10. As for speed, even a relatively slow hard disk will read and write several times faster than a floppy, and in the CP/M world, where the 64K memory limit forces programs to use the disk a lot, that translates into a big performance boost. In practical terms, you gain several things from this extra space and speed. You get the convenience of having all your files immediately available--no more shuffling floppies in and out of your system. You can work on larger files because you're not limited by the capacity of a single floppy, particularly important if you're working with a large database. You get more work done in less time and with less frustration because programs like dBase II and WordStar run faster. And you'll be able to automate more of your computing by using features such as menus and batch files, features that are usually too clumsy or too slow on a floppy-based system. Hard disks also have their disadvantages. First, they cost. When the used computer market says your machine is only worth $500-600, it's hard to spend $800-1200 on a hard disk when the same money will buy a Taiwanese or Korean IBM clone. Second, hard disks are more vulnerable than floppies to crashes caused by physical mistreatment and power failures (you need either a back-up power supply or a hard disk that won't let its head crash into the disk platter if the power fails). Third, a crash of any kind is a much bigger disaster on a hard disk than on a floppy because you have so much more data that can be affected. Scramble the disk directory on a floppy and you'll have cause for agitation; do the same thing on a 20 megabyte hard disk and you'll be ready for a rest home. Fourth, because of this extra vulnerability, you have to create a systematic back-up procedure and stick to it. [Hard Choices] To give you an idea of what's available, here's a quick rundown of features on two hard disk systems with "universal" interfaces, one high end and one low end. All this information is from the manufacturers--I haven't had my hands on either system (yet). [WestWind] The WestWind system isn't the cheapest you'll find, but it's a true modular system, one you can expand to meet almost any need. The key to the system is the WestWind interface ($100) that plugs into your computer via the Z80 socket. At the moment, this interface (and hence the rest of the system) is available for Osborne, Kaypro, Morrow, Televideo TPC-1, Xerox, and Eagle II or IV CP/M computers, as well as for IBM-compatible MS-DOS computers. With the interface installed, you can plug in an external Trantor hard disk system--$995 for 21 megabytes, $1895 for 45 megabytes, and $2895 for 110 megabytes, plus options for removable cartridge drives and tape back-up. You can daisy chain several of these drives and even split drive space between CP/M and MS-DOS (a nice feature if you have both systems). Or, instead of a hard disk, you can plug a DriveC 2 RAM disk into the interface--$349 for 512K, $499 for 1 megabyte. The RAM disk can be daisy-chained up to three megabytes, and part can be set aside as a print buffer. The RAM disk comes with Supersize SuperCalc2, a special version of SuperCalc2 that uses the RAM disk to let you create giant spreadsheets--WestWind claims you can create spreadsheets over 512K with the 1 megabyte RAM disk. If you just can't choose between the RAM disk and the hard disk, you can use both together. With this system, you can even use part of the RAM disk is used as a cache buffer for the hard disk, speeding up disk accesses still more. Finally, if you've got several computers and money left over, you can add the Web ($1295), WestWind's own star-type network for up to four computers. The Web is a dedicated network computer to which other computers and peripherals are attached allowing users to share printers, hard disks, and data and to send electronic mail. WestWind plans to allow mixing CP/M and MS-DOS computers on the Web soon. One drawback--the WestWind operating system software is apparently not compatible with ZCPR3 and the Z-System, a souped-up CP/M replacement. Those of you who, like me, are hooked on ZCPR3 may want to start prodding people to change this situation. (I don't know about other CP/M replacements and modifications--make sure you ask if you use one.) [Mini-Winnie] In contrast to WestWind, the Mini-Winnie by Advanced Concepts Engineering & Consulting is definitely the lo-ball candidate. Using their own plug-in adapter and disk controller, ACEC offers external hard disks for Kaypro (including the U ROM that gives developers so much trouble), Morrow MD2 and MD3, Osborne, Zorba, Sanyo, Big Board, Xerox 820, Eagle AVL, Alspa II, and the hotshot MicroMint SB- 180 (using the HD64180 superchip). The prices, including case, power supply, etc., are $790 for 20 megabytes, $665 for 10 megabytes, and a while-stock-lasts special of $465 for 5 megabytes. (Did your eyes light up?) A Mini-Winnie hooked to a Kaypro 10 is twice as fast as the standard Kaypro hard disk, ACEC claims. In addition, they claim their installation is compatible with ZCPR (1, 2, and 3), MicroShell, and other CP/M enhancements. Currently, the only known incompatibility is with Plu-Perfect's modified CP/M for the Kaypro (and Tony Nicotra of ACEC says they expect to fix that as soon as they get their hands on the system). ACEC also offers an internal installation for Kaypros ($790 for 10 megabytes and $845 for 20 megabytes) that doesn't require removing a floppy disk drive. These internal installations use a Latine 3 1/2" hard disk drive that draws little power and has an added safety feature that never lets the drive head touch the disk platter surface under any conditions. (I assume this drive accounts for the slightly higher price of these installations.) The operating system installation is menu-driven, and the package includes source code for those interested. The Mini-Winnie comes with a 30 day return privilege. When I talked to Tony Nicotra on the phone, he also said that they're ready to talk to people with CP/M computers not on the list above and expressed confidence that they could hang a Mini-Winnie on "almost anything." For the price, it sounds hard to beat. Let me remind you that I haven't tested either of these systems myself--my information comes from talking to the manufacturers. I expect to have the chance to test a WestWind system before too long, and I'll let you know what I find out then. If you have access to CompuServe, you can find a couple of Mini-Winnie users in the Kaypro forum (PCS-25)--Jack Crenshaw (72325,1321) and Paul Bennet (76555,20). [Acceler8/16 Update] Last issue, when I covered the Acceler8/16 package from Intersecting Concepts, I mentioned that the disk conversion program (Media Master) had a problem dealing with some Morrow disk formats. This bug was limited to Media Master version 3.0 and has now been fixed. I've tested the new version and it works fine on all the formats I've tried. Owners of version 3.0 should contact Intersecting Concepts for a free update. WestWind hard disk system Mini-Winnie hard disk WestWind Computer Advanced Concepts Engineering & Consulting 1690 65th Street 8926 S.W. 17 Street Emeryville, CA 94608 Boca Raton, FL 33433 415/652-3222 305/482-7302 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ted Silveira is a freelance writer and contributing editor to several computer-oriented publications. He appreciates suggestions or feedback and can be reached through the KAY*FOG RBBS (415)285-2687 and CompuServe (72135,1447) or by mail to 2756 Mattison Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95065. ------------------------- End of CPM-CC23.ART Text -------------------------