Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site iuvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!saj From: saj@iuvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Offhand comments on the QL - (nf) Message-ID: <125@iuvax.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Feb-84 15:15:31 EST Article-I.D.: iuvax.125 Posted: Wed Feb 15 15:15:31 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 16-Feb-84 23:57:11 EST Sender: saj@iuvax.UUCP Organization: Indiana U, Bloomington Lines: 25 #N:iuvax:400005:000:1235 iuvax!apratt Jan 26 00:56:00 1984 ~~~~~~~ Cute message goes here ~~~~~~~ Offhand, I have some comments about the Sinclair Quantum Leap. It sounds fabulous at $500, but I wouldn't buy it. The main reason is the memory. Has anybody ever heard of "on-line storage capacity"? That's the amount of memory in RAM/DISK/TAPE (actually mounted tape) a system has at a given time. Looks like the $499.99 model is going to have 128K+100K+100K = 328K online storage. Compare that to a basic-model IBM with 128K+190K+190K = 448K. While you're at it, think back to the Osborne and remember how hopelessly inadequate the little disk drives were. The CP/M utility programs (the operating system, really) couldn't all fit on one diskette. When I use an IBM to write/debug C programs, I use (all of) two disk drives and 640K RAM. I don't think this little baby is going to make it. Note how Uncle Clive saves money: he cuts the cost of things which end up counting most. "Who needs a real key- board? That's just one of the high-ticket items on most computers." This time, it's "Who needs disk drives?" I may not want to buy one, but I might buy stock in a company selling high-capacity mass storage devices for them... ---- -- Allan Pratt ...decvax!ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!apratt