WARNING: Clear QIC Tape Bands

Jonathan Chapman lists at glitchwrks.com
Tue Jan 18 12:09:12 CST 2022


> My opinion is that if you're trying to use DC carts for archival
storage, you should have your (tape) head examined.

Not archival storage, just day-to-day operation on old stuff, like Sun3/Sun4, AT&T UNIX PC, etc.

> As someone that has worked with computer tapes for nearly 40 years, I have to question the sanity of this. These
> tapes are HOW old? What was their intended lifespan? While we all
> like to keep our hardware as original as possible, does it really make
> sense to try to run systems in this day and age with QIC tapes?

Works well enough for my needs :) I've got a small stack of QICs I use primarily with the Suns, they are reliable enough. Again, we're not storing launch codes on these or shooting them to the moon or something, I just want tape bands that don't destroy tape.

Thanks,
Jonathan


More information about the cctalk mailing list