Even with all the inconsistency, we're better off than we were before SMART. Although you could go by manufacturer reputation to some degree, back in the day.

Even with all the inconsistency, we're better off than we were before SMART. Although you could go by manufacturer reputation to some degree, back in the day. A few days ago I fired up an IBM 2.1 GB IDE drive that was manufactured in December '98, according to its label. It's been sitting in a drawer for about 15 years. Still working well, as far as I can tell.