Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cbmvax!vu-vlsi!devon!paul
From: paul@devon.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: IBM WORM disk
Message-ID: <260@devon.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Apr-87 20:25:59 EST
Article-I.D.: devon.260
Posted: Thu Apr 23 20:25:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Apr-87 12:04:13 EST
References: <39@sdeggo.UUCP>
Reply-To: paul@devon.UUCP (Paul Sutcliffe Jr.)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Distribution: world
Organization: Devon Computer Services, Allentown, PA
Lines: 22
Keywords: optical disk
Summary: look before you leap

In article <39@sdeggo.UUCP> dave@sdeggo.UUCP (David L. Smith) writes:
> I see that IBM is "introducing" a WORM optical disk.  According to the ad,
> capacity is 200M.  Looks like a neat toy.  Does anyone know if it's 
> available yet, what the price is and if it's compatible with the PC?

Before you get too excited about this, read the specs on this "new"
product.  The data transfer rate is 2.5 megabits/second (despite the
fact that it's using the SCSI interface, instead of ST406/412).  This
is exactly 1/2 the rate of most PC-type winchester drivers.  Also, the
average access time is 230ms (that's _n_o_t a typo!).  My "not-very-fast"
Seagate ST-4051 drives are 39ms.

The point is, the WORM drive may hold a lot of data, but don't expect
to get at it very fast.   :-)

- paul

-- 
Paul Sutcliffe, Jr.	UUCP: paul@devon.UUCP
			-or-  {seismo,ihnp4,allegra,rutgers}!cbmvax!devon!paul

"I love work.  I could sit and watch people do it all day!"