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From: david@prism.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: Re: First Class Periph. Sider query
Message-ID: <7200005@prism.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Jun-85 15:06:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: prism.7200005
Posted: Thu Jun 20 15:06:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Jun-85 08:16:36 EDT
References: <1471@ecsvax.UUCP>
Lines: 49
Nf-ID: #R:ecsvax:-147100:prism:7200005:000:2045
Nf-From: prism!david    Jun 20 15:06:00 1985


	

	I bought a Sider last January; to my great disappointment,
	the first one arrived DOA, so I had to ship it back.  The 
	turnaround on the replacement was about two weeks.

	Since then, its been wonderful, and I urge anyone with an 
	interest to forget about that CD player, VCR, or whatever
	other conspicuous consumable you've been coveting and get
	serious about your computer.  I can't believe I've lived
	so long without it.

	The operating system software, partioning the disk into
	DOS, ProDOS, Pascal, and CP/M regions is generally excellent
	-- I've experienced no glitches attributable to its presence.
	(I didn't configure a usable CP/M partition so I can't vouch
	for it.)

	The most serious drawback to the system is there is no documentation
	of the low-level device control; I have some non-standard operating
	routines (the DOS version of ORCA/M) which require custom disk
	drivers (the ProDOS version of ORCA works fine).  Supposedly,
	FCP is working on a technical manual (an OK installation manual
	comes with the system).

	The other problem, more-or-less generic to such hard disks,
	is there is no way to write-protect the drive while debugging
	to secure against wild code causing spurious writes to the drive.
	It doesn't seem to be as easy to turn on the drive as a disk ii
	(what could be), and I seem to have been lucky so far.

	Now if only someone would come out with a cheap *backup* device,
	we'd be all set.

	P. S.  FCP just did a mailing to its customer list, with  
	coupons offering a $50.00 kickback to owners who refer new 
	business to them.  Find someone who already has a Sider, 
	and work out a deal with them!     

	I have no connection to FCP; just a reasonably satisfied
	customer.

	
	
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 David Eyes             {cca, datacube, ihnp4, inmet, mit-eddie, wjh12}...
 Mirror Systems, Inc.                                   ...mirror!prism!david
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