🚀 go-pugleaf

> About changing the System Folder to something over the network:  it can't
> be done currently.  You must run off a network using a floppy disk or
> a hard disk local to the Mac containing the system folder.
> 
>     - William Edward Woody                      Mac >> IBM && /|\ && ][n

Yes, it can be done.  I am doing it now with MacServe.  I boot from a
floppy (but enough brains to do boot and find a disk server could be
put in a ROM a lot more easily than could the System/Finder), and then
switch to a MacServe volume, and eject the floppy.

Performance is fairly poor (like a 400K floppy) over Appletalk, but I
don't think it would be bad over ethernet, and I can isolate myself
from the delay by using a large disk cache (I'm currently using 192K).
Performance is acceptable for most things.  I wouldn't want to do
program development this way, though...

And, the MacServe volume I am using can't be shared.  But there's no
problem having multiple system files on one physical drive, as long as
they are all on different partitions, or hidden from one another.

Anyway, if Infosphere can do it, so can Apple.  Whether or not it's
worth it is up to them.  Hard disks are so cheap nowadays that I don't
imagine there are _many_ places where people can afford a network and
not hard disks.  Or, as the original note mentioned, a Mac II and not a
hard disk.

We, (the University of Illinois), however, are in that position due to
the usual legislature/governor budget politicking...
----
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: dorner@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu  UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo}!uiucuxc!dorner
IfUMust:  (217) 333-3339