Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!frogpond.rutgers.edu!rbthomas From: rbthomas@frogpond.rutgers.edu (Rick Thomas) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Re: Minix in ROM Message-ID: Date: 29 Nov 89 23:14:44 GMT References: <2339@draken.nada.kth.se> <5265@omepd.UUCP> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 22 > > So, a Poquet running Minix and a mail-shell and we're set for life... > > or at least until the telepax technology matures. > Kind of hard to imagine MINIX being frozen in silicon at this point... However, the latest InfoWorld, (Nov 27, pg 27) has a big spread on "Flash" Eprom chips from Intel and the non-volatile RAM-disk cards that have been announced that use them. A 4MB Flash-disk card for an AT (big enough for Minix root, /usr, and some space for users' home directories) would cost about $2600 at the prices quoted in the article. Chip prices are currently kinda high, but they will almost certainly come down as the manufacturers ramp up production. Assuming that the same 4MB would retail for under $1000 by this time next year, a lap-top Minix machine with a built-in modem becomes a very real possibility. For another example, there is a 4.3 pound MS-DOS compatible machine from Psion that uses Flash RAM as a substitute for floppy disk. It runs for up to 30 hours on a set of 12 AA batteries (no moving parts to soak up power, dontcha know...). Interesting... Rick