As you may recall, the last time I was good enough to write a piece for EUG, I ended with a promise to discuss the pleasures of using a disk system at a later date. As I have no major awards to collect for the next few hours, I have time to honour that promise. Read on and learn!
Those of you who are thinking of upgrading from tape should first be made aware of the two main disk interfaces which are available for use with the Electron.
- DFS - which stands for "Doesn't File Safely"
- ADFS - meaning "Also Doesn't File Safely"
Of course, problems can result if you try fitting the wrong size disk into your drive. 3.5" disks will tend to rattle around in a 5.25" drive, and a 5.25" disk actually has to be folded in half in order to fit into a 3.5" drive. The results of mismatching disks to drives is seldom beneficial.
Having acquired the disk system best suited to your needs (based on the comprehensive information given above), the next thing is to connect it to your computer. Modern Electron disk systems come in two parts, the drive itself and an interface to plug into the Plus 1 or Rombox+. Once the interface is in place, the drive may be connected via the ribbon cable attached to it. You will notice that the cable is very short. This is a safety feature built in by the manufacturer and prevents the drive going astray during violent activity such as frequent disk changes or earthquakes.
At last the moment has arrived! It's time to format your very first disk! Your drive should have come with a Utilities Disk which has a formatting program on it. But before you put the Utilities Disk anywhere near your drive, you should format a disk and make a copy of the formatting program before you use it for the first time. This will guard against accidental erasure of the formatting program - a common mistake made by non-expert types.
By following the manufacturer's operating instructions, you will soon master your disk system and in a matter of a few weeks will be ready to save and load your first programs!
At this point I think I should mention a seldom publicised medical complaint that is associated with disk drives and affects many new users. We experts call this affliction "Back-Up Mania" or BUM for short. The poor BUM sufferer will show signs of extreme agitation and refuse to move away from the computer.
If this state of affairs is allowed to continue unchecked the BUM victim may develop contusions not unlike bed-sores on their seat. This condition is known as BUM bum.
The reasons for this odd behaviour are not completely understood, but research has shown that BUM victims have an overwhelming desire to transfer any and all tape-based software to disk and will keep at it until the task is completed. Another side effect of BUM is that for many weeks after the initial attack, just the sight of a cassette tape can induce vomitting.
The upshot of a really severe bout of BUM (particularly BUM bum) is that huge piles of unmarked disks accumulate and need for disk storage becomes a No. 1 priority! Most people choose to keep their disks in special containers, custom-made for that purpose.
Commercial suppliers can provide disk boxes in a wide range of sizes and colours (BUM bum sore pink is a very nice shade!). The plastic used in their construction is of a special anti-static variety which will not cause any harm to the data stored magnetically on your disks. For further security, disk boxes may be locked with the key provided. It is then just a matter of finding a very secret, special, "nobody would ever guess or think of this" type hiding place to stow the key! You can rest easy in the knowledge that should your house be burgled in the night, the culprit may get your disk box but he won't be able to open it! It's forward thinking like this which has made our nation the envy of the world.
There really isn't much more to say about disk systems, although less enlightened tutors might try to convince you that a knowledge of directories and 'tree' systems is vital if you want to get the most from your disk equipment. Be honest, have I misled you yet?
The next time our paths cross I will endeavour to introduce you to the delights of computer programming, so please, for your own sake, remember to have a milking stool and an adjustable spanner handy.
Cheerio!
Bernard Nerdfergler, EUG #5