Date   : Thu, 15 Mar 1984 09:32:53 PST (Thursday)
From   : Bicer.ES%parc-maxc.arpa@csnet-relay.arpa
Subject: Re: FDC Recommendations

As a user of Compupro Disk 1 controller for 1.5 years, I can
wholehartedly recommend it to anybody (I also have very good things to
say about some of their other boards and systems). My only critisism is
the system software (BIOS) that comes with it. Being an ex-systems
programmer, I can tell that such a good hardware deserves better
software. Don't get me wrong, the BIOS is good and it works, but anybody
who will use this board with Compupro CPU 88/85, should look at Tommy
Lanier's software (Lanier Computer Systems, ALABAMA). Fully interrupt
driven BIOS with 4 full track buffers really make a difference in the
performance. Contact me for more information.

As far as 5" floppies are concerned, I happen to have a slightly
different opinion. My experience with 5" floppies have shown me that
they are definitely not as reliable as 8" floppies and neither as fast.
Therefore using them on Compuro equipment would be like putting a VW
engine in a Porshe (Yes, I know their new multiuser machine Compupro-10
uses them, but if you think about it, that machine really needs a hard
disk to be really useful. So, floppies, in my opinion, are just for
backup).  This problem of disk incompatability is nothing new. We had it
for the 8 bit CP/M world for years, and solved it mostly by software
(remember MODEM7 anyone?). Yes, the 8" IBM standard helped, but
everybody had access to Modem7. As far as using MSDOS on Compuro, well,
without the graphics and so many different terminals, I wonder how much
of the IBM software is useful and not available for CP/M. Ofcourse, for
a developement system, there is MSPRO to produce IBM software and
diskettes.

Jack