[Coco] torn on getting a coco...

[tonym]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Robinson deemcr at robinson-west.com
>Sent 12/16/2008 1:44:56 AM
>To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts coco at maltedmedia.com
>Subject: Re: [Coco] torn on getting a coco...
>
>
>On Tue, 2008-12-16 at 05:47 +0000, tonym wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Robinson deemcr at robinson-west.com
> Sent 12/16/2008 12:27:31 AM
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts coco at maltedmedia.com
> Subject: Re: [Coco] torn on getting a coco...
>
>
> I don't want to support 5 1/4" disks in this day and age and here is
> why:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Olivetti-XM-4311-DSDD-360k-5-25-PC-Floppy- 
> Disk-Drive_W0QQitemZ320285715890QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Drives_Storage_Internal?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
> And the shipping on that to Scappose, which isn't far 
> by any means, is, drum roll, $14.49.
>
> 
> Just because you don't know how to search, or don't bother to take the time to LEARN, doesn't mean they don't exist.
> http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-half-height-5-25-floppy-drive->360k_W0QQitemZ230313707702QQihZ013QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Mitsumi-D503V-360KB-5-25-Floppy-
>Disk-Drive_W0QQitemZ390015951685QQihZ026QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>The two above could be junk. They are sold as-is, so it is not fair to
>use them as a counter argument.
>

Oh, OK, so you want a floppy for 5 bucks, AND you want a warranty.

Get real already.

> THIS one is a 1.2, but can be jumpered to run at 300rpm, making it a DS/QD 5.25" 720KB FDD:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Teac-5-25-Internal-Floppy-Drive-
>14733730-90->F2SSR80_W0QQitemZ250338757045QQihZ015QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>For this last one, "I don't know what capacity it supports." Why bother
>looking at it any further?
>

Because I *TOLD* you what it was RIGHT ABOVE IT.
SLow down, think, stop talking trash for a moment, and READ THE SENTENCE ABOVE THE LINK

> http://cgi.ebay.com/MATSUSHITA-5-25-LOW-Density-Disk-Drive->FMD00790B4_W0QQitemZ190270507195QQihZ009QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>This last one could be junk. "It worked when we pulled it," but does it
>work now? How used is it? How was it taken care of?
>

Again, you want cheap, and you want guarantees?

> http://cgi.ebay.com/Epson-SD-621L-360KB-5-25-HH-Floppy-
>Drive_W0QQitemZ170140024794QQihZ007QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>This last one could be junk. It isn't tested. How much use has it seen
>and for how much longer will it work?
>

Ditto - come back to the real world.

> http://cgi.ebay.com/MITSUMI-D503-360KB-BLACK-INTERNAL-FLOPPY-
>DRIVE_W0QQitemZ360094158265QQihZ023QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>This last one is sitting at $23.33. A 1.44 meg 3.5" realize is going 
>to cost $19.99 or less from your local store. I am not interested in
>speding more than $20 on a floppy drive period.
>

OK, but, 1.44's don't work as 1.44's on coco's, so your mentioning it is kinda' moot

> http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-SHUGART-Floppy-Drive-SA455-3BBa-BLACK-
>360k_W0QQitemZ360094158381QQihZ023QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>More than I want to pay for a floppy drive again. This technology just
>isn't reliable enough to commit more than $20 to the drive itself.
>
>
>
> Non-eBay:
> http://www.oddmix.com/comp/chd_drv_shugart_sa455.html Shugart, $30 shipped
>
>$19.99 shipped would be okay, why spend $30 on a 1.2m drive?

Well, because some peope need to MAKE a couple bucks to stay in business.
How about we contact your employer, and have them lower your salary a bit, since it's unfair
for you to cost them so much.

Yep - I thought so.

>5.25" media is very hard to come by. I only know of one company in
>California that I can get it from. Why go to the effort, disks are
>unreliable no matter how good your drive is compared to the
>alternatives. The only time I need a disk drive is to
>play Gauntlet II because it doesn't follow the rules.
>To save me the pain of dealing with disks, I can forego being able
>to play Gauntlet II on an actual COCO 3.
>

No, it is NOT hard to get. I have over 1500pcs in my garage, ranging from 40pcs that cost me 5 bucks,
to a 440pc lot that cost me $78 shipped, and then another 500 pcs that cost me around $100 shipped.
Again, you just have to STOP TALKING TRASH long enough to do semi-intelligent search queries.

>
>
> Need I keep going? 
>
>No, you've missed the point. It's time to get away from floppy drive
>technology. Cloud-9 has really missed the point, or Drivewire would 
>be distributed on a rom pack by default and the company would be working
>on a successor to the semi virtual diskette drive that will be
>compatible with games such as Diecom Products Gauntlet II and store 360k
>or more. The time has come to simulate disk drives with better
>technology and distribute dsk images on cdrom. Sooner or later, disk
>drive technology will go extinct. Why wait for that to happen? Of the
>360k drives you list, how many of them are brand new?
>

Fine - then shut the F up and create it - causing a huge stir here, and calling out Mark and Boisy for *NO* reason
really isn't constructive, is note endearing you to *ANYONE*, and frankly, it's downright rude.

>Need I mention that I need to buy new media if I decide to get a
>replacement floppy drive? No matter who I buy it from, the disk
>reliability issue is going to mean that some are bad and others
>will go bad quickly. Disks are not a good distribution means
>in this day and age of better alternatives, especially 5.25"
>disks. Optical drives are more popular than disk drives today
>and for very good reasons. My argument hasn't been shot down
>by these links to disk drives on and off E-Bay, it has been
>strengthened.
>

I think not - you bitched about expensive floppies, and I pointed you to $5 drives.
Then your argument was "as-is"

Man, seriously, whaddaya want for five stinking DOLLARS??? You want a lifetime service contract?
WITH overnight shipping both ways included?? 
Be realistic!

>Say you buy 50 disks for about $50. That means that if you pick a drive
>up for $30 you have sunk $80 into disk technology. For $110, you can
>get a virtual disk drive shipped to you that is more reliable than your
>disks and their drive. For a little more than that, you can probably
>build a better virtual disk drive. CD-R's are cheap where most people
>have PC's that they can burn them on. If you have an SVD or drivewire
>and a burner on your PC, you are pretty much set so long as people who
>are distributing software to you distribute it on CD. A spindle of
>50 700 megabyte compact writable discs is what? It's less than what
>floppy disks will cost you for the comparable amount of storage.
>Anyone who wants something other than a floppy drive on their COCO
>knows exactly what I'm pointing out. They know that floppy technology
>is limiting and they know that it is eventually going to go away.
>Back in the day, floppy drives were cheap and about all that anyone
>could afford. Today, cdrom writers and CD-R media are what's cheap.
>

Um, no, most places have moved on to USB sticks, or flash cards with build-in USB connectors,
or DVD disks. I use very few CD's at work - bootable USB sticks (8, 16, 32, and 64GB) and DVD's


Now, seriously, if I send you an FDD setup and about 100 disks, will you shut up?
I'll send it *AT MY EXPENSE* just to rid the list of your nonsense... and maybe get you to
leave Mark and Boisy alone...

Tony