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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!zeppo!wheps!jmd
From: jmd@wheps.UUCP (DISHMAN)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Franklin ACE 1000 users, where are you?
Message-ID: <229@wheps.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 24-Jul-83 08:26:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: wheps.229
Posted: Sun Jul 24 08:26:07 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Jul-83 13:08:06 EDT
References: houxo.169
Lines: 26

I have recently purchased the ACE 1200, with two drives,
the CP/M card and 80 column card.  Except for a noisy fan,
which I understand is a common complaint on these machines,
I am very satisfied.  All software that I have purchased
has, with some minor problems, appeared to be completely
Apple compatible, including the Merlin Assembler and the
C Compiler from Manx.  The latter program includes a poor man's
"vi-type" editor called "ved," which I have found quite reasonable.
(Regarding the latter, I have to use an "escape" to get 
upper case on the Franklin's approximation to the Videx 80
column card, a bit of an annoyance.)

One interesting interaction with a software vendor, Sir-Tech,
led to their comment that the Franklin drives tend to be
slower than Apple drives (although, they are both Shugart I
believe).   As a result, they have had a number of complaints
that their Pascal-based programs won't run without creating
intermittent garbage on the disks.   I consequently checked
my own drives with a utility program, which showed them
out of calibration on the fast side.   On the other hand,
using the "fluorescent light" strobing technique suggested
they were in fact in spec.  I'd be interested in hearing comments
from others on the correct way of calibrating such drives.

Finally, might I suggest that future discussions of the Franklin
might best be done on "net.micro.apple".