qlwiki:qflash_ram_disk [Sinclair QL Wiki]

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 ====== Q-Flash Ram Disk ======
Q-Flash was designed to be the fastest RAM disk for the Sinclair QL at the time.  


A ram disk is a virtual disk drive which is stored in the QL's memory providing much quicker access than a microdrive cartridge, or floppy disk drive, or even the QL hard disks.


It was also the first RAM disk which did not have to be pre-formatted before use and would dynamically adapt to ensure it was large enough for the files being copied to it.


The Q-Flash RAM disk also contains a command MDVLOAD to load the whole content of a Microdrive cartridge into a RAM disk in one go. A similar process was also built in later in Tony Tebby's RAM disk (with printer buffer) "Ramprt", when Qram was launched.


Advertised features included:


  * The ultimate in speed, reliability, features and compatability
  * Seven times faster than other RAM disks : QL Screen image (32768 bytes) loads in 0.15 seconds!
  * I/O intensive programs run up to 100 times faster
  * No bugs reported since initial release in August 1985
  * Full dynamic memory allocation - no FORMAT command necessary.  No memory reserved for file data unless really used for your files
  * Up to 8 RAM devices can be used with up to 255 files per device
  * Works on standard (128K) QL and with all QL software, and takes full advantage of expansion memory up to the 640K maximum
  * JUst as easy to use as microdrives or floppies, but much faster.


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Title: **Q-Flash Ram Disk**\\ 
Language: 68000 Machine Code\\ 
Author: Carsten Koch\\ 
Publisher: [[qlwiki:QFlash]] (Uwe Fischer]\\ 
Year of Publication: 1985\\ 
Platforms Suitable for: All Sinclair QLs and emulators\\ 
Commercial Status: Unknown\\ 
Price as at December 1985: £27 (DM 97)\\ 
Reviews: Unknown\\ 
Sources Available from: n/a\\ 
Latest Version available from: Unknown\\