[KLUG Members] Re: New machine - Linux hardware?

[Richard Zimmerman]

> Also, re backup, at this point the best backup solution for most
> consumer-level stuff is just to buy a second hard drive.  With 60 GB
> IDE drives starting under $150, you can't lose.  Decent tape drives
> with a fraction of the capacity still start around $300 and involve
> swapping tape after flaky tape.  Backing up to a hard drive is fast,
> automatic, and verification is easy.

    Agreed... But.....

    The bad problem with a second drive as a backup (especially with a
business) is that unless you mount the drive in a drive enclosure where you
can take the drive with you, in the event of a fire BOTH the drive and the
backup get toasted!

    With the tape drive, pull the tape, slap it in your pocket and let the
building burn!!!! <BG>

   Of course, the consumer isn't worried about that. <G>

   Seriously though, if you looking for a tape drive, I couldn't recommend
anything but a DDS-? (read dat) tape drive. I've gone through 2 IDE Travan
drives in two years and my DDS-3 dat drive keeps humming along happily.

   Richard