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From: lindsay@k.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Donald Lindsay)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: how fast could disks be (Mach 1)
Message-ID: <1189@k.gp.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Sat, 15-Aug-87 22:06:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: k.1189
Posted: Sat Aug 15 22:06:18 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Aug-87 12:04:56 EDT
References: <lots> <12191@amdahl.amdahl.com>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 16
Keywords: laser disk scan Mach


Mach 1 is irrelevant to a truly advanced read/write laser disk.
The first commercial units will spin, but eventually, we will just scan the
laser beam across an unmoving disk. ( I expect the "disk" to be the back of
a credit card, except of course inside the larger, sealed units. )

The technology for scanning a laser beam already exists: I refer you to your
favorite supermarket checkout, or, your favorite laser printer. Techniques
such as spinning holograms, and spinning hexagonal mirrors, are the low-tech
(but well-proven) techniques. The high-tech methods are diverse and I don't
care to predict the winner. Perhaps we modulate an index of refraction by ...
... ....  ??!! ...naah.

Don
-- 
	Don		lindsay@k.gp.cs.cmu.edu    CMU Computer Science