Date   : Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:17:04 +0000 (GMT)
From   : debounce@... (Greg Cook)
Subject: New storage system suggestinons?

On Wed, 14/10/09, John Kortink <kortink@...> wrote:

> On Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:20:14 +0000,
> "Pete G." <peteveg@...>
> wrote:
> 
> >Hi All - I'm looking to add a modern replacement filing
> system
> >to my Model B (and I'd also like it to work with the
> Master too
> >if poss) and am not quite sure which/what to go for.
> What I want
> >to be able to do is to still retain one floppy drive so
> that I
> >can copy over some of my existing software onto the new
> "drive".
> >I also want to try and avoid having a system that
> connects to
> >the User Port as I use this for the Eprom Programmer.
> There
> >seems to be either the option of SDram based storage or
> an
> >internal IDE drive. Most important to me would be that
> the
> >new storage was as "well integrated" with the standard
> Beeb
> >filing system as poss, so to make copying stuff to the
> new
> >drive as easy as possible. I'd probably prefer to go
> solid
> >state ram rather than IDE hard disk if I possibly
> can....
> >any recommendations appreciated !!
> 
> The most powerful solution is GoMMC.

You really have no shame, have you?

> This is an internal
> storage system (plugs into a ROM socket inside the machine),
> uses MMCs, supports DFS as well as ADFS, supports discs,
> harddiscs, even tapes, and offers an extensive toolset to
> copy disc images to/from the MMC from a variety of sources
> either on a PC or the BBC itself (including regular floppy
> drives), in various formats (SSD, DSD, multi- disc, etc.).
> Etcetera, etcetera. For more details see :
> 
> http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/hardware/gommc/what.htm

The above plus David Glover's reply would make a good balanced
review.  I would add that while long image names make it easier
to browse large, prearranged collections, GoMMCio is a speed bump
in the disc transfer process, something extra to learn and
negotiate.  I can see FAT32 being more convenient especially for
development and testing of BBC software..  Must say though that
software compatibility with GoMMC is very good and having
interchangeable filing system ROMs on the card is a powerful
feature.
 
> But it's not cheap. There are various other solutions that
> are or appear to be, but offer more specific functionality,
> which may or may not suit you now or later.

Pathetic FUD.

> Unfortunately, the 'community' went a little crazy on
> creating
> new storage systems in the past few years, instead of
> putting
> effort into other, more exciting hardware,

I should think USB support is exciting enough!  The storage
solutions I'm aware of cover a range of budgets and needs.  No
doubt the trend reflects what the market wants, mostly to
download and play games.  It's taken a while but GoMMC now has
some stiff competition.  Unfortunate?  There's the free market
for you.

> but it does give
> you some sort of choice, depending on what you want to pay
> and how much inconvenience you want to put up with.

More FUD, which backfires in this case.  GoMMC is now
disadvantaged in its key market by a less favourable exchange
rate, while the reported hangups and cumbersome repair procedure
grate with BBC owners used to stable machines - used to their
machine being stable.

As for what John later wrote:

> More specifically, therefore (since GoMMC was the first 'new'
> storage system, and pretty quickly covered all thinkable bases
> instead of just a few)

GoMMC does indeed handle all common storage tasks.  But five
years on there's lots more ground to cover, and plenty more wins
to be had in convenience, usability, standards support, added
value and BBC media emulation as well as price.  What improvements
in particular, I cannot say; nobody can think of everything.

Greg Cook
debounce@...
http://homepages.tesco.net/rainstorm/