Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!rochester!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!remus.rutgers.edu!steely.rutgers.edu!andrewsr From: andrewsr@steely.rutgers.edu (Rich Andrews) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Pirating CD-ROMs - A Little Reality Please Message-ID: Date: 20 Dec 90 03:32:47 GMT References: <1990Dec11.205920.12986@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> <4710021@hpfcdq.HP.COM> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 39 In article <4710021@hpfcdq.HP.COM> olsen@hpfcdq.HP.COM (John Olsen) writes: > specter@disk.UUCP (Byron Max Guernsey) writes: > > >That is only 4 years away(1995) and that implies that we will all have CD > >ROM drives in 4 years. I have no plans to buy a device that only 2 or 3 > >games use and several programs (such as encyclopedias, fred fishisks,etc) > >use. And I am almost certain game manufacturers won't produce A LOT for > >this thing until enough applications such as the encyclopedia appear that > >many many people will already have one. > > How many of you can remember way way back to when you would never need > a floppy drive because you had everything on those nifty cassette tapes? > True. But consider: 1. You cannot write to a CD-ROM. 2. Very large hard drives are dropping in price fast. 3. Prices on WORM drives are also dropping. 4. New technology around 5 years away will potentially wipe not only the CD-ROM, but WORM and hard drives. (Anyone else hear about the hologram-based technology which the Bandido mentioned? 1,000 Gigabytes, access in the nanoseconds, writable, etc.) Of course, it will take a few years for this technology to reduce in price to grab the lion's share. But, if it can even come close to what it sounds like, it *will* take over. I just think that the CD-ROM is fated. Mainly since you cannot write to them. But, if the price drops *significantly*, then it may sell enough to keep it around for a while. std. disclaimer. -Rich -- // Rich | "If there is nothing wrong with me, then maybe there is \X/ Andrews | something wrong with the universe." - Beverly (STTNG)