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

[John Santos]

In article <PbmdnWb4ypTacnnUnZ2dnUVZ_sednZ2d at giganews.com>, rgilbert88
@comcast.net says...> 
> Bob Eager wrote:
> > On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:22:46 UTC, "Richard B. Gilbert" 
> > <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> wrote:
> > 
> >> Bob Eager wrote:
> >>> On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:22:48 UTC, billg999 at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon)
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Note the percentage of fragmentation.  And, no, there are no de-frag
> >>>> programs for BSD Unix.  The question does come up from a windows weenie
> >>>> periodically in the BSD Newsgroups.
> >>> Remind me when DEC finally provided a defragmenter for VMS...! :-)
> >> Did DEC EVER provide a defragmenter?
> > 
> > Exactly...
> > 
> >> There is at least one but AFAIK it's user written freeware.  I first 
> >> encountered it ca. 1985-1986.  Before that, I had to do a full backup 
> >> and restore of an RA81.  AIRC it took fourteen tapes and eight to ten 
> >> hours.  The before and after comparison of system performance was amazing.
> > 
> > I kept a spare RA81 and did image copies...
> 
> ISTR that the RA81 cost $50K ca. 1984/5.  We got one with the system but 
> a second one was out of reach!
> 

More like $16-17K, not $50K.  List, brand new from DEC.


> It's amazing how things have changed in the last twenty-five years.  I 
> can get a terabyte or two that will almost fit in my shirt pocket! And I 
> can afford it if I ever need/want that much storage.



-- 
John