Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!adobe!heaven!heaven.woodside.ca.us
From: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: CD-ROM Drives
Message-ID: <542@heaven.woodside.ca.us>
Date: 23 Jun 91 09:48:56 GMT
References: <677618537wkn13459@edmund.cs.andrews.edu>
Sender: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us
Lines: 30

Andrew Gillham writes

> Floppies and OD's should always be available, but not the STANDARD media.

I can't help it.  I have to jump in.

One of the main reasons for the floppy drive standard is so that
software developers can ship products on reasonable media.  It takes
money and machinery to press CD-ROM disks, and it isn't practical for
ordinary software distribution.

Also, if you want to transfer files from one machine to another, you
need a floppy drive (or a network).

Every NeXT computer needs--and should have--a floppy drive.  Some NeXT
computers may want to have a CD-ROM drive also.  It does not make sense
for CD-ROM to be the "standard" media except possibly for very large
releases from NeXT.

But, in a given year, there is typically only one major release of software
from NeXT, and typically it's an upgrade that will fit on a handful of
floppies.  On the other hand, most people will buy several software
products during the year, and those are typically distributed on floppies.

Just my opinions, of course.

--
 Glenn Reid        			NeXTMail: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us
 RightBrain Software			..{adobe,next}!heaven!glenn
 NeXT/PostScript developers		415-326-2974 (NeXTfax 326-2977)