L10 
W65 
UOperation Hard Drive - Part IIIU 
 
by R.H. Mitchell 
 
This will be the last of three introductory articles on the hard disk drive. In the two previous issues, we covered what the installation requires and roughly how it is done. With all that accomplished, it's time for a little philosophy. Those who like to read between the lines may get some negative undertones out of what follows, so I want to make it perfectly clear at the outset that my purpose here is to give you my own realistic and unbiased impressions on this particular piece of equipment. While my opinion is based on two or three months of actual use, it remains just that - an opinion. I have no wish to criticize in any way the considerable work that Tony Morehen and Guy Cousineau have put into software development for the system, and the invaluable assistance they have given me in learning how to use it properly. These two men don't get paid anything near what they're worth to us. 
 
My opinion must be set in the context of who I am as an ADAM user. I'm not a novice and I'm not an expert. I like ADAM's colours, sounds, sprites, and all the bells and whistles a programmer can give me, like colourful SmartKeys and memory gobbling introductory graphics - or graphics anywhere for that matter. More importantly, I've always preferred the bright, user friendly, bulletproof EOS programs to their more businesslike and sometimes less forgiving CP/M counterparts. What attracted me to ADAM in the first place was colour, sound and simplicity. 
 
Off the top, my opinion is that in its present state of development, the hard disk drive will be of greater benefit to CP/M users and SmartBASIC programmers than it will to those who do not write their own applications. The drive does not support many of the new ADAM EOS programs now appearing in our market, programs such as PowerPaint and Speedywrite. My 18 year old son Jeff, whom some of you have met, found this disappointing, particularly with SpeedyWrite, and so do I. However it must be remembered that this system is still "in the works". It is to be hoped that EOS software developers will soon make available the required modifications to permit their software to run on the hard drive system. 
 
Most programs that make use of a memory expander of whatever size will not work with the hard drive. Current hard drive documentation presents the following status report: 
 
UWorks Doesn't WorkU 
 
SmartBASIC V1.0 PowerPaint 
ADAMCALC SmartLOGO 
Filemanager Smart Letters and Forms * 
JKL Utilities SmartBASIC v2.0 
DISK DOCTOR DISK Manager 
EOS INDEXER 
SMARTWRITER 
VIDEOTUNES 
ADAMLINK 

* (works with one drive only) 
 
The docs go on to add, "Any software which installs drivers to use the expansion RAM as an additional drive will likely not work with the hard disk system since the patches are usually installed over the sound routines which will overwrite the hard disk system." 
 
and... 
 
"Any software which re-writes the EOS (Disk Manager, SmartBASIC v2.0, etc) will not work with the hard disk; neither can we guarantee the performance of any other AFTER MARKET software." 
 
In addition to the list shown in the docs, I've also discovered the following software does not work:
 
 
SpeedyWrite, Backup+ 3.0, Smartrix and Electronic Flashcard Maker. 
 
While Logo is shown in the "Doesn't Work" column, I was able to get it to load and read/write from the hard disk. We're still looking for a method of getting back to the system out of LOGO that will employ the 'Shift-Undo' switch as other hard drive compatible software will do. I suspect that similar modifications to other software will be possible. 
 
I've also found that while most of the Colecovision games will work, some will not. No sound, probably for reasons explained above. And while we're on the subject, you should also be aware that if you plan to install a hard disk drive and your ADAM is an expansion module 3 with accompanying Colecovision game unit, you will not be able to use the cartridge slot following installation of the hard drive interface card. It would be well to make sure you've got all your carts backed up on tape or disk. Note that there's no such problem with the ADAM 'stand-alone' unit. 
 
So as you can see, there are some sacrifices to be made. With respect to the memory expander, I've heard it argued that once you've got the hard drive, you'll have no further use for additional RAM. I'm not so sure that's true under EOS. The more expanded memory you've got, for example, the more PowerPaint can do for you in terms of ability to store and build up pictures. And all the magnificent work that Walters Software has done to provide us with a RAM disk under EOS goes by the boards. 
 
To even things up a little bit, it should be pointed out that if you want to run one of the programs noted above, you can still do so. You simply boot your normal ADAM without the Hardisk System boot media. That gives you your normal ADAM system back, memory expansion and all. But you'll not in this configuration be able to store files to or read from the hard disk. 
 
What about the other side of the coin? 
 
As mentioned in earlier articles, the hard drive makes available to you a tremendous amount of media storage space. I never cease to be amazed at how quickly it can find a file I want, particularly since Guy penetrated my thick skull with some tips on where to store what and how to access it with programs like FF and CD. The ability to switch quickly back and forth between massive amounts of storage space is a feature I like and would not want to be without. 
 
In both EOS and CP/M, if you finish up whatever it is you're doing, or get tired and want to go to something else for a bit of a change, you can easliy flip back and forth between CP/M and EOS, or over to the partition where your new project lives. In my club work, for example, if I've forgotten a member's address or phone number, I simply save my letter to him, load up my dbase II and search my database for the required information. Then I can take it back to the file where I need it. Guy has given me an even better solution for this sort of thing, which I've yet to try. 
 
Most, if not all of the CP/M software I have will run with the hard drive. The only ones I can think of that won't are the CPM/ADAM conversion files and SYSGEN/CONFIG programs that come with the original Coleco CP/M system. Guy has already provided versions of these programs that do work. So in CP/M we're in pretty good shape. The system has been made flexible enough to permit installation of most presently available public domain CP/M software and the majority of major commercial CP/M applications. You can even use TDOS' install program to configure the keyboard for applications that don't themselves have an installation package, but which require some non-standard keycodes. 
 
Under CP/M the hard disk system does recognize the presence of a memory expander, and will use it as a RAM disk. I've found my 64K board a convenient place to park temporary files, and I'm glad it's still available. 
 
Under EOS, you'll find that it's easy to switch in and out of SmartWriter, AdamCALC, SmartBASIC, and any other major program you have that's hard disk compatable. There's no more searching around for media that you misplaced months ago, or wondering where you left a particular program. They're all now quite literally at your fingertips. The directory program provided with SmartBASIC even lets you select any given file by typing in a number. With the Quickpatch program also provided, you can switch rapidly between EOS partitions. 
 
Most of all, I like the hard drive system menu under EOS. It gives you the option of booting software from any drive you've got hooked up including the hard drive, or of switching over to CP/M. It also provides facilities for drive maintenance...system installation, Krunching, renaming partitions, initializing directories, that sort of thing. With Filemanager installed moving programs about between one drive and another is fast and easy. Jumping to SmartWriter is simply a matter of pressing the 'Esc' key, as always. It's surprising to note how much faster SmartWriter files save and load from the hard disk. 
 
As with all things of value, there are tradeoffs involved with this system. I've tried to acquaint you with the more significant ones, at least in my own estimation. Whether or not the hard drive is for you will depend to a considerable degree on how you use your ADAM computer. 
 
My bottom line recommendation is neither black nor white. If you're a hobbyist CP/M user who can live with a few minor adjustments to the way you do business, then you'll not in the least regret buying this system. If you're chiefly an EOS user, but aren't too hung up on pre-packaged software; ie. you like doing your own programs and are willing to experiment a little, you too will enjoy working with the hard drive, and should seriously consider it over the addition of a second disk drive or so-called 'big' memory expander. You'll get a lot more for the extra $200. or so. Finally, if you're an EOS user who shudders at the mention of CP/M, and who depends exclusively on commercially available EOS software, especially that which requires a memory expander (64K or more), then you'd be better off to invest in the MEGARAM (E&T Software) or similar unit.
 
 
ficant ones, at least in my own estimation. Whether or not the hard drive is for yo
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