In November 1984, l told why l bought a floppy disk drive for my classroom PET and refused a second Apple. By fitting the PET with a disk drive (it had a cassette), I increased its speed and program versatility. Teachers do not need new computers for drill and practice, although in five years innovations in voice control and simulation may make all models obsolete. I have discovered, however, that the Commodore floppy disk drives have problems: they tend to "burn out" more often than drives from other companies. (At this point readers can say "I told you so.") In spite of its ads, Commodore seems to ignore the needs of the educational marketplace. Dealers tell me that Commodore is unresponsive when they try to get replacement parts. My letters to Commodore offices and to the company president got no responses. After five months of trying to get a new disk drive, my PET is operating again. I still have more programs for it than are available for my Apple or IBM, but I have no idea if I can ever find another part for it should I need one.
