Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!ames!oliveb!sun!thetone!swilson
From: swilson%thetone@Sun.COM (Scott Wilson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: NeXT press release (very long but interesting)
Message-ID: <72886@sun.uucp>
Date: 13 Oct 88 16:54:39 GMT
References: <5423@juniper.uucp>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: swilson@sun.UUCP (Scott Wilson)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 23

>   The other VLSI chip, the Optical Storage Processor, controls the
>256 Megabyte Optical Disk, making possible this new storage technology
>The Optical Disk combines the vast storage capacities, removability
>and reliability of laser technology with the fast access and full
>read/write/erase capabilities of Winchester (magnetic) technology.

Hmm, this looks suspicious to me.  Note that the the terms "vast
storage capacities", "removability", and "reliability" are used to
describe laser technology while "full read/write/erase" capabilites
are associated with Winchester (magnetic) technology.  Does this mean
that it is nothing more than CD-ROM and an old-fashioned hard disk
packaged together?  I also noticed in the press release that blank
optical disks will be available so some type of writing is possible,
maybe the optical portion is WORM?  Earlier in the release it said
"removable, read/write/erasable 256 Megabyte Optical Disk", but the
above seems to contradict that.  Was NeXT trying to make their machine
sound more innovative than it really is?


--
Scott Wilson		arpa: swilson@sun.com
Sun Microsystems	uucp: ...!sun!swilson
Mt. View, CA