Bruce Lane <kyrrin2@wizards.net> wrote:
> They're external boxes. There's a PC board in the housing with a couple
> of ICs.
   I bet this board turns the proprietary interface into SCSI. What is the
interconnect topology in those boxes? Does the board connect to the outside
world, and if yes, with what type of cables and connectors? Does the drive
itself connect to the outside world, and if yes, with what type of cables
and connectors? Does the board connect to the drive, and if yes, with what
type of cables and connectors?
> My NT server uses an Exabyte 8500.
   I have an 8200. It should be even more reliable (if the actual magnetic
material is the same, as in this case, the higher the density, the lower
the reliability for obvious reasons), and 2.5 GB per tape is certainly
enough for me.
> I'll be lucky if I can figure out enough code to control the GPIB board I
> just got! ;-)
   Is it for IBM PCs or for DEC buses?
> I agree with the idea, though, and I did buy Visual Basic for a reason.
                                           ^^^
   Buy?!?!?! Software?!?!?! Something that has no mass?!?!?! If I knew that
you want it, I would certainly give you a copy.
   But you should keep in mind that for system programming Visual Basic is
a very poor language. For this purpose you need assembly language and C.
You'll need the appropriate tools. You can use any assembler, since it
doesn't do anything by definition. If you don't have one, I can give you a
copy of MS Macro Assembler v6.00, it runs under MS-DOS and Microsoft OS/2.
As for the C compiler, IMHO the best one for MS-DOS and related OSes is MS
C Optimizing Compiler v6.00A, which I also happen to have and am willing to
share it with anyone who wants it. It also runs under MS-DOS and Microsoft
OS/2. But if you do like the BASIC language, there is a much better
compiler/interpreter than Visual Basic. It's MS BASIC Professional
Development System v7.10. It's primarily for MS-DOS but also runs under
Microsoft OS/2. Again, I'm perfectly willing to share it with anyone who
wants it. These are excellent tools made by a company called
Good_Microsoft, which unfortunately has ceased to exist around 1990 when it
broke away from its godfather Good_IBM. The current one, called
Bad_Microsoft, is a completely different company that makes only Windows
bull****. The relationship between Good_Microsoft and Bad_Microsoft is just
like that between Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.
   
   Sincerely,
   Michael Sokolov
   Phone: 440-449-0299
   ARPA Internet SMTP mail: sokolov@alpha.ces.cwru.edu