Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!think!mintaka!oliveb!orc!mipos3!omepd!littlei!nosun!shannon
From: shannon@nosun.UUCP (Shannon Nelson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: non-volatile core memory
Message-ID: <514@intelisc.nosun.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 90 01:53:26 GMT
References: <10257@microsoft.UUCP>
Reply-To: shannon@isc.intel.com (Shannon Nelson)
Organization: Intel Scientific Computers, Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 26


History repeats itself.

Many of you have been extolling the virtues of core memory never
forgetting its data.  Well, I recently saw an article about a new
laptop computer from Psion pls of London.  It uses Intel's Flash
memory for main memory and to replace the mechanical hard disk for
file storage.  ROM Mess-DOS is used for the OS, and Microsoft wrote
the filesystem code for the Flash memory.  Turn it on, and there
you are.  Almost zero startup time, and everything is as you left
it.  Since there is no mechanical harddrive, the batteries last
up to 75 hours.  Also, its 4 pounds, and about the size of a
standard notebook.  Take that, you luggables!

For those of you who don't know, flash memory is basically EPROM
that can be reprogrammed in place.  You don't need to take the
device out of the machine to reprogram it.  

The dynabook is almost here... (yeah, I've heard of the Dynabook(tm))



-- 
Shannon Nelson                    "Live, from Intel Scientific Computers..."
shannon@isc.intel.com          ...!tektronix!{ogccse,nosun}!intelisc!shannon
(503) 629-7607                Intel disclaims all knowledge of my existence.