Re: What has changed in the Apple world last 6 months?

[pausch@saaf.se (Paul Schlyter)]

In article <9170ko$put$1@acme.gcfn.org>,
Dave Althoff Jr <dalloff@gcfn.org> wrote:
 
> Paul Schlyter (pausch@saaf.se) wrote:
>> In article <3a2fd875@news.svn.net>, Paul Grammens <grammens@svn.net> wrote:
>>  
>>> Paul Schlyter <pausch@saaf.se> wrote
>>>
>>>> Why?  These old Apple's had enough CPU power needed by many
>>>> businesses.  The extra CPU power in modern computers is mostly used
>>>> for "visual sugar" (pretty-looking GUI's etc), without adding any
>>>> real content.  Or for idle cycles....
>>> 
>>> Nope. For example, I've worked on the computers in a couple of local vet
>>> offices. Their DOS based vet software packages and data are over 50 megs.
>>> Imagine how long it would take to do daily backups on an Apple II.  Then
>>> there is the issue of reliability and parts availability...
>>> Sorry, I disagree with you.
>>  
>> You're talking about storage space, not CPU power.....  <g>
>>  
>> But of course the Apple II is hopelessly inadequate for an
>> application using a 50 Meg database; however many (most?) businesses
>> don't need such large databases.  Remember that most businesses are
>> small businesses...
> 
> Are you sure about that?  Given the storage space and a fairly efficient
> indexing system, there is nothing to prevent an Apple ][ from working
> handily with a huge database.  It would have to be striped over multiple
> disks or handled on a IIgs using HFS given the limitations of the ProDOS
> file system, but depending on how the database is constructed and how the
> data is accessed, even a ][e could make use of it.  Processing might be
> rough and slow, but not impossible...
 
OK, by dividing a huge database into manageable pieces one can of
course deal with it on a small computer too.  Or even manually --
that's the way the phone companies dealt with their phone books in
the pre-computer age.
 
>> Finally, I wonder how efficient regarding usage of disk space those
>> 50+ Meg databases you referred to were.  I mean, it's just as easy
>> to waste disk space as it is to waste CPU cycles....
> 
> Don't forget that under modern operating systems the files grow with the
> size of the disk due to variable block sizes.  Ever have a 50k file on a
> system with a big disk that suddenly becomes a 5k file when you store it on
> a floppy?  And remember that some databases store records in complete
> blocks...
 
On FAT file systems, yes, however there are better file systems which
maintain a small cluster size even on very large disks.
 
-- 
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