> > I'm not so sure that it's developed by DEC though; the technology
> > to store 40 GB on DEC's tapes may very well have been invented by Quantu
> >  It is said that the TK tape line is more reliable than DAT, but that
> > doesn't explain why my MVAXII diagnostics tape also got corrupted =(

Once upon a time even floppies were not so dense... TK50 -> TK70 ->...
is the natural growth path as media got better, head technology improved,
electronics go more sophisticated.

VMS backup from what I've seen (I was inside once) were often a result of 
miscommanding backup or worse bad media.  Granted the early TK50s were 
horrid on reliability but they either made good tapes or failed.  One thing 
that did cause havoc is bad tapes that were bulk erased and reused.

I still use the three TK50s I have and I can say the seem solid as any 
media.

Allison