Now you know ole BJ has a penchant to ramble, eh? Well there is some scattered space to fill, so this will be continued all over the magazine. I’ll try to make the epistles worth the space. First, I want to apologize to several writers whose articles did not appear in this issue. Be assurred that they WILL make it. Update is blessed with excellent article support by outstanding writers. I appreciate your contributions and I know that the subscribers do also. So, KEEP THEM COMING. Your articles WILL be published.
I was talking with Larry Kenny T’other late night and ask him a question. Larry came back with, “Its in your own magazine”, and “dont you read Update?”. (Arrugh!). This issue of Update gives me great problems. Bill Cable came in with over 20 pages of articles about the QL, and ALL about things that I dont know about! So, INDEED I’ll have to read and study Update! Al Feng and his Networking will take some time to digest, but most of all it will take “DOING AT IT”. And there is ole Warren Fricke trying to teach me polynomials! I think that I “used to know that” sometime in the distant past. Gotta study!
SERIOUS BUSINESS! I’ve been in a quandry for a year about TO or NOT To buy a Hard Drive for my QL. Al Feng’s article on Networking turned the trick! I’m gonna. Here is my rationale. My QL’s are operating SUPER STABLE, and I do believe that I have more computing power than does one have with an IBM AT, except for the hard drive. The Brit Pound conversion is about 1.55, which means that a Hard Drive at 355 pounds comes to about $550.00 (US). Last year I paid $650.00 for a 40 mgbt hard drive for my Son’s IBM, and then had to buy a $175.00 controller for it. The price for the QL Hard Drive is right! Now picture this: Two QL’s networking, one with 2 floppies and the other with 30 Mgbt Hard drive and operating MS DOS. Each has two MDV’s making seven storage devices at disposal. Anybody want to tackle an algorithm for that scheme?
TS-2068 to QL LINK SOFTWARE? Why not? This is so close to reality that it should be done. What we need is an adaptation of Modem Software that operates direct from the TS-2068’s ZSI/O to the QL’s Serial I/O port. Another Idea is to use two modems hooked together, and their software, without going through the telephone medium. There are people doing this, but how they do it is not known publically.
I have pile of good stuff for the “Perks and Quirks” column for next issue. There just wasn’t room for more in this one. John Juergens accused me of being “anti Micro Drive”, which deserves a smart answer, plus more good and better stuff. Incidentally, I use the PSION suite right out of micro drive almost all of the time. I have an idea for a “QL Hard Floppy” for the next issue which I’ll get our QL Editor to authenticate.