Re: Introduction

[tannenba@engr.wisc.edu (Todd Tannenbaum)]

>
>> >process of putting the latest PCDOS 6.3 and various utilities from the IBM 
>> 
>>         Is there any advantage to pcdos? I took it off in favor of msdos,
>> for two pretty superficial reasons, it was 9 meg, and that damned editor
>> drove me nuts!
>
>	To me, the question is not whether there is an advantage to PC-DOS,
>but rather, "Is there any advantage to MS-DOS?"  The answer to me at least,
>is NO (except for the editor).  I cannot imagine why anyone would voluntarily
>beef up Microsoft coffers just to install essentially duplicate software onto
>their thinkpad.  If you like the MS-DOS editor, copy that file and the QBasic
>file and be done with it.  There is no reason in the world to dump PC-DOS
>for the MS version--its just plain silly.
>

I don't think so....

At the time I got my thinkpad and thus PC-DOS, PC-DOS did
not include any disk compression software (doublespace, stacker, superstor,
whatever it was supposed to be).  Instead, there was a coupon inside
the PC-DOS box saying "send in this coupon, and IBM will send you the
compression software for free".

Well, I sent in the coupon.  Then 2 days later I called IBM and
asked if there was any other faster way to get the compression software;
they said no, you must mail the coupon and wait.  At that point I 
installed MS-DOS, largely at the time to get DoubleSpace (although,
ironically, i have not used so far on my thinkpad...!).

It has now been almost 4 months since I sent in the coupon.
No compression software.

Score one for MS-DOS over PC-DOS. 

-Todd

p.s. as an alternative altogether to things like Stacker/Doublespace,
     folks may want to consider Infinite Disk from Chili Pepper Software....
     It can automatically compress unused files ("unused" = not accessed
     for a specified number of days), or it can compress and move the
     files off of disk onto floppy, a different disk, Bernoulli, Syquest,
     magneto optical, network drive, etc.  However, even moved files still
     appear in your directory.  When you access a file which has moved,
     a dialog box comes up asking you to insert the specific floppy, syquest,
     etc., that has the file, and it is automatically copied back.
     Great stuff, & nice on the thinkpad with the 2.88 meg floppy &
     compression, Infinite Disk can get almost 6 meg per floppy!  This 
     software also makes purchasing a Bernoulli or Magneto-Optical much
     more attractive   (p.s. i do not work for them, just have their software)
     What is the downside?  31K TSR.  (doublespace TSR is similar, though)
     DOS & Windows only, for now....  Lot cheaper than buying a new 500 meg
     thinkpad disk from ibm.