Date   : Mon, 29 Jul 1985 16:00:00 PDT
From   : "R. Meier" <rmeier@su-star.ARPA>
Subject: re: ram disks (Saturn 128K)

Seepee Emm,
       I have been using a Saturn Ramdisk 128K with my Apple ][+ for
over a year now, with no problems.  The supplied interface software is
needlessly complicated, slow and uses almost all of the Cp/m configuration
block, but despite this, I have not yet bothered to rewrite it.
       I find that I only use it about 15% of the time, but that when
I use it, it is well worth it.  I use it when I know that a given
program will have many disk references.  I typically use Wordstar,
by copying my file to the ramdisk, there editting it, and periodically
copying it back to floppy disk.  I find that the reduction in WAIT
(for disk operation) time is much more comfortable, and avoids the
problem of lost characters when a disk operation is performed while
typing.  I have found that when compiling with small c or using
the asm assembler, it is worthwhile to send the hex to the ram disk
and then load from the ram disk back onto a floppy.
       In summary,
               Saturn Ram Disk 128K
               No Problem operation > 1 yr
               Interface Software inconvenient
               Editting Speedup (x2) (mostly psychological)
               Assembly/Compiling Speedup (x2) (including copy time)

       Before, getting the new version of Kermit which does disk
buffering, I could almost double my effective file transfer rate, by
copying to ram disk.
                                       Bob Meier (riacs!meier@pluto)