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From: klm@munsell.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: 1.6 meg drives and the Amiga
Message-ID: <1362@squeaker.munsell.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Nov-87 19:27:55 EST
Article-I.D.: squeaker.1362
Posted: Wed Nov 11 19:27:55 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 16:48:23 EST
References: <930@sugar.UUCP> <2706@cbmvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: klm@squeaker.UUCP (Kevin [Being Weird Isn't Enough] McBride)
Organization: Eikonix Corp., Bedford, MA
Lines: 44

In article <2706@cbmvax.UUCP> daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie) writes:
>
>If you've got a telescope (or just came back from Comdex), you'll see even
>neater stuff from Kodak.  Like a prototype Read/Write optical disk, in
>3.5" format (a bit thicker than the magnetic ones) which stores over 50 megs.
>I could see replacing DF1: with that puppy.

Yum Yum.  Better yet, how about replacing DF0: with that puppy and tossing
DF1:?

Nope.  Sorry.  Brain-damaged idea.  Need DF1: to read Fish disks and run
Marauder.

Don't hold your breath.  As they say, it's a prototype.  I get my paycheck
from Kodak, but they don't necessarily tell me what their plans are WRT new
technology.  (I certainly would like to get my hands on it, though!!!)

I can say from experience in a previous life that it's going to be a while
before read/write optical media becomes a cost-effective alternative to
magnetic media.  For one thing, it's sloooowww.  And the media is still
prohibitively expensive.  About 2.5 to 3 years ago I wrote a device driver
and co-designed an adapter board for a prototype Panasonic read/write
(actually WORM) drive.

Your average mass produced audio CD has (I believe) an aluminum substrate
as the recorded media.  WORM optical disks, on the other hand, use some
kind of exotic metal substrate (tellurium sub-oxide?) that is unstable
enough that a low-power solid-state invisible laser can blast holes in it.
At the time that I was working on that project, we were paying about
$400 a pop for 12 inch disks.  The drive cost about $20,000.

I realize that, compared to the evolution of magnetic media, optical disk
technology is making quantum leaps, but it hasn't caught up to magnetic
yet.

So, save your nickels and dream about the day 5 to 10 years from now when
you'll have a gigabyte or more of storage in your desk top work station.
And chances are the media will still be magnetic.

-- 
Kevin McBride, the guy in the brace //       | Your mind is totally controlled
Eikonix - A Kodak Co.              //        | It has been stuffed into my mold
Billerica, MA                  \\ //  Amiga  | And you will do as you are told
{encore,adelie}!munsell!klm     \X/   Rules! | until the rights to you are sold