Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!excelan!unix!hplabs!hpfcso!hpfcmgw!hpfcse!hpuplca!joseph
From: joseph@hpuplca.HP.COM (	Joseph Hohl )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HPUX 7.0: Was Re: HP Optical When???
Message-ID: <410007@hpuplca.HP.COM>
Date: 22 Dec 89 20:20:45 GMT
References: <13002@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Pleasanton Sales Office
Lines: 21

> Well, I just got back from an HPUX 7.0 class at the local HP office. They
> had on display as a working demo an HP optical disk drive with the infamous
> HP manual and X manual browser running. This was a read-only optical drive.
> I don't know when you can buy one :-), but the driver for the optical drive
> is supposed to be included in HPUX 7.0. The drive will cost $1990. Optical
> disks are 20-50 times slower than hard drives.
> 
> --Harold
> 
> I'm Harold R. Zatz, a.k.a. "H".                 Pasadena, CA 91126

Harold, what you saw was not HP's 'optical' disk it was our 'CD ROM'.  CD
ROM uses the same technology as the audio CDs.  CD ROM is a great low
cost distribution for documentation and software.  Even though the CD
ROM is considerably slower than a traditional magnetic disk, it can be
faster than getting up, finding a manual somewhere in the office, and
looking up the information you need assuming you know where to look. The
CD ROM can be a network resource allowing multiple users to access a single
drive. The CD ROM is available on HP-IB and is being shipped currently.

Joseph