[Info-vax] Anyone interested in another public access system

[Michael Austin]

Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> JF Mezei wrote:
>> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>>
>>> I expect that the REAL reason was that DEC wanted to sell 
>>> pre-formatted floppies for $5.00 each when brand-X floppies sold for 
>>> $0.50 each!
>>
>> Being a good devil's advocate:
>>
>> If most of those machines were on warrantee/support contracts, then
>> Digital would want to ensure that the use of lesser quality diskettes
>> would not damage the drives and require expensive service calls.
> 
> I have been using floppy disks in personal computers and in DEC hardware 
> for more than twenty years.   I have never had a drive failure 
> attributable to a defective disk.  In fact, I don't recall ever having a 
> floppy drive fail. I have NEVER seen or heard of a case where a floppy 
> disk actually damaged the drive!

I have... - as former Field Service Engineer you see a lot of things 
that "shouldn't" happen.  (but it usually started by idiot user not 
inserting properly, then torquing the disk which bent then damaged the 
head.  pretty ugly...


> 
> No, Digital simply wanted to pocket the extra $4.50!
> 
> 

agreed.

The best "floppy" story ever.

A colleague was at a company in downtown Dallas one day performing 
service on a variety of office equipment.  One of the secretaries 
stopped him in the hall and said "my system floppy for my DECMate won't 
boot".  Being the kind person he was, he handed her one from his case. 
Later, walking by this secretaries office, he notice the "new" floppy on 
a bulletin board, so he stopped in and ask if she always kept the floppy 
on the board... she replied " of course, that way I can always find it".

No, she did not use pins to affix the floppy to the board - yep - you 
guessed it - a really big magnet!!

And she wondered why it never worked...