Date   : Thu, 19 Jan 1989 22:42:59 -0500
From   : gonzalez@BBN.COM
Subject: Soft-Sector for Northstar Horizon?

Well, after a three-month disruption (work and hobbies don't always mix),
I have resumed my search for a C compiler.  I've narrowed it down to BDS,
Aztec and Toolworks.  I had called Leor Zolman about BDS, and made a most
distressing discovery: he doesn't distribute on hard-sector floppies.  
Subsequent examination of the literature from MANX and Software Toolworks 
revealed that they can't help me and my DSDD 10-sector drive, either.  So,
I guess I *first* need to get a soft-sector drive onto my system.  Anyone
remember that cute song about Dear Henry and the bucket?  

Anyway, I am pursuing two solutions.  The first is to simply purchase a soft-
sector controller and a drive, and hammer out the driver in Z-80 assembler.
The disadvantage of this is cost: a new Compupro Disk 1B lists for $620.
As the guy who sold me this system concluded, at these prices one is better
off buying a PC clone.  So, does anyone know of less expensive boards, or have 
one they want to sell?  Does it bother anyone else that S-100 boards are
getting more expensive while watches, calculators, VCR's and CD players have
dropped in price?

The other possibility is to build a SCSI ontroller, as some people on this
list have done, and buy a SCSI drive.  Assuming that I can find S-100 format
prototyping boards, this would probably be cheaper.  Also, I would relish
getting back to component-level work.  Any leads on prototyping boards?
Has anyone on this list, in addition to Doug Braun, done this?

                               -Jim.
Jim Gonzalez                           AT&T: 617-873-2937
BBN Systems and Technologies Corp.     ARPA: gonzalez@bbn.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts               UUCP: ...seismo!bbn!gonzalez


End of INFO-CPM Digest
******************************