[CCTALK] Good Trip/Score Dec Rainbow, preformatted media

From: Mark Tapley <mtapley_at_swri.edu>
Date: Fri May 17 09:50:46 2002

>From: Raymond Moyers <rmoyers_at_nop.org>:
....
>> Thanks to Alex W. I picked up a Dec Rainbow+ w/color card and a DEC
>> VR240 and a DEC printer
>
> Isnt that one of those machines that need preformatted media ?
>
> Im not very knowlegable about VAX variants but i read about
> a certain small vax 2000? prized for its ability to prepare
> hard disks (flaw map/disk label) for the larger vaxen that
> lacked the ability to do it themselves.

Rainbow *can* format its own floppies. There is a similar DEC machine (Pro?
Decmate? Help, somebody?) that cannot, and some Rainbows make their living
as formatters for people that own the other machine. I don't know whether
there's an analogous situation for VAX 2000, etc.

The inability to format own media *is* a major and needless PITA, one of
DEC's crummier decisions, IMO.
                                                                - Mark
Received on Fri May 17 2002 - 09:50:46 BST