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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cuae2!ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!fornax!chapman
From: chapman@fornax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Re: Hard disk questions
Message-ID: <170@fornax.uucp>
Date: Thu, 8-Jan-87 14:47:31 EST
Article-I.D.: fornax.170
Posted: Thu Jan  8 14:47:31 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Jan-87 05:51:39 EST
References: <1982@ptsfa.UUCP> <503@atari.UUcp>
Organization: Computing Science Dept, SFU,  Burnaby, B.C. Canada
Lines: 64

> ptsfa!jmc writes:
> 
> > I've backed up my hard disk (~45 folders) to floppies using MichTron's
> > Backup utility (another ~45 folders on various floppies) with no ill
> > affects. I believe the problem is with GEM / desktop.
> 
> You are wrong.  
> 
> The problem is not with GEM / desktop, the problem is in a limited-
> resource manager in GEMDOS.  I cannot stress this enough.  If you can
> live on the edge, with all your hard-disk files in mortal danger of
> erasure (well, the directories & FAT, anyway), that's your business.
> I choose not to, and urge others to do the same.
> 
> > The problem is also with Atari who refuses to tell us when they will
> > fix this (and other) problems except to say "we're working on it"
> > and "real soon now" and "the check is in the mail".
> 
> We "refuse" to tell you because we do not know. We ARE working on it.
> I am personally working on it (all of GEMDOS).  So are other people.
> We are also working on a lot of other things.  Since this problem is
> not a showstopper -- you are able to use your machine -- we don't feel
> that fixing it alone warrants a new ROM release.  In addition, this
> problem reaches to the very core of GEMDOS, and fixing it (and other
> GEMDOS irregularities) entails a complete rewrite.  Adding blt
> (blitter) support, for example, does NOT entail a complete rewrite
> (just the conversion of software-blt code in the LINE-A interface to
> hardware-blt).
> 
> Please, PLEASE stop spreading rumors to the effect that there is no
> limit on the number of folders you can safely have on your hard disk.
> There is a limit.  Its parameters are nondeterministic, but we have
> determined that 40 is a safe number.  If you lose your files and you
> had more than 40 folders on your disk, WE TOLD YOU SO.
> 
> /----------------------------------------------\
> | Opinions expressed above ARE those of Atari  |  -- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp.
> | Corp. and should be those of everyone else.  |     ...lll-lcc!atari!apratt
> \----------------------------------------------/

  Info at last! Allan perhaps you could clear up some of the
details for us:

Is the 40 folder limit:

1. per disk or per partition
2. a "physical" limit or just the limit of the number of folders
   Gem/Tos can look at between resets, e.g. can you have >40 folders
   (safely) as long as you never try and access more than 40 between
   resets?
3. If it is just a limit between resets do folders on the floppy
   count towards the 40 limit?

4. Presumably the blitter will require a rom upgrade: will Atari
   attempt to fix the "40 folder limit" problem in that rom release?

Unrelated (but interesting) question: some time ago the net heard that
Atari was testing software to allow the ST to boot directly from the
hard disk - can you tell us the status of this? will it require a rom
upgrade too or just changing the boot sector of the hard disk or both?

Thanks in advance for answers.....

john