Disk devices AllthediskdevicesontheApplix1616runidentically. Thatis,thesamecommands apply. However, there are some differences in their speed, and capacity. The ram disk /rd is fastest, however it has the least capacity (typically 200k bytes, or about 40 pages of text), and the great disadvantage of totally losing its contents when the power is switched off. A 9cm floppy disk drive (which accepts plastic encased diskettes) is slowest, but has a capacity of 800k bytes (about 160 pages of text). It also has the great advantage that the disks are removable, so by changing disks, its capacity is essentially unlimited.
The Applix 1616 will accept two floppy drives, and these are known as /f0 and /f1 (with modifications, you can add up to 8 drives). Generally, you will need at least one such floppy or diskette drive to make any serious use of your Applix 1616. For one thing, you can not really run 1616/OS v4.x satisfactorily without a disk drive (although everything described in this manual so far will work). For another, virtually all the programs available for the Applix 1616 are provided on 9cm disks, not on cassette. Before you can use a brand new diskette you must both format and initialise it. This process places magnetic ‘tracks’ on the diskette, onto which files and pro- gramscanbe stored.
Formattingand initialisinga disk totally destroystheprevious contents, so do not format a disk on which you have programs. You format a disk usinga utilityprogram called blockdev (thisreplacesa muchearlierversioncalled ssddutil ). This program is supplied to you on your 1616/OS Version 3 or 4 user disk, and is usually in directory /bin . It is menu driven, and can also convert old Version 2.4 disks so they can be read by Version 3 or 4. You invoke it by typing blockdev /f0 , or blockdev /f1 , depending upon which drive is to be used. The largest capacity disk device available is the hard, or fixed, disk, known as /h0 , /h1 .
These are much faster than floppy drives, nearly as fast as the ram disk. They also have much greater capacity. The smallest is at least 20 megabyte, or 20,000k bytes, but you can get them 20 times as large. You can store at least 5,000 pages of text on a hard disk. One disadvantage of the hard disk is that it is permanently sealed, and you can never remove the disk. Once you run out of space on it, you will have to delete something to make room for the next. Of course, those who haven’t used a hard disk find it unlikely that they will fill one ... those who use them tend to fill them with remarkable speed. The moral is, get the biggest one you can afford!
The other major disadvantage of the SCSI hard disk is the cost. At the moment, you can expect to pay between $400 and $1500 or more, depending on the size. Page 34 User Tutorial Manual Files and Directories