Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!sharkey!itivax!scs
From: scs@itivax.iti.org (Steve Simmons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: DEC to go with 4mm DAT technology ...
Keywords: 4mm DAT
Message-ID: <4413@itivax.iti.org>
Date: 13 Nov 89 16:07:48 GMT
References: <12646@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Industrial Technology Institute, Ann Arbor, MI.
Lines: 23

anthony@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Lawrence Anthony) writes:

>a brief news item in the current issue of DEC Professional
>(Vol 8, No 12 (Nov 1989) p 18) claims that DEC has plans
>to offer "a 4mm solution" for backup devices.  does anybody
>have any news/rumors on the recording format that DEC will
>employ (HP/Sony, Gigatrend, or some proprietary DEC format)
>and when such a device would be available?

I dunno about rumors, but it really honks me off that DEC will not
pursue 8mm technology.  There are very few disks in the world that
one cannot back up on a single 8mm tape, while even Dec (;-)) has
drives too large for a 4mm.  Exabyte is announcing a larger capacity
second-generation drive as we speak, while 4mm is brand-new technology.
Most of our cost of backups is operator time.  4mm buys us nothing,
flat, zippo.  Feh.

Disclaimer: My opinions reflect the Industrial Technology Institute only
to the extent to which it follows my opinions.

-- 
Steve Simmons	       scs@iti.org         Industrial Technology Institute
You're not a big name on Usenet until someone puts you in their .sig file.