Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!ariel!tantalum!jupiter!cheeks From: cheeks@edsr.eds.com (Mark Costlow) Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp Subject: Re: Any software support for Exabyte tape system? (Really: Why DAT?) Message-ID: <174@tantalum.UUCP> Date: 7 Mar 90 02:26:26 GMT References: <5570383@hpfcdc.HP.COM> Sender: usenet@tantalum.UUCP Reply-To: cheeks@edsr.eds.com Followup-To: comp.sys.hp Organization: EDS Research Lines: 32 In article <5570383@hpfcdc.HP.COM>, paulp@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Paul Perlmutter) writes: > > The 7.0 release [...] supports the new 4mm product. The 8mm Exabyte > product [...] is now being aggressively challenged by a variety > of 4mm vendors - including HP. I doubt if you could claim it is > the "defacto" standard. It merely had the lead, which I believe > will erode quickly given the advantages of 4mm. In a very short ???^^^^??? > time, 4mm should be out-selling 8mm. > Which advantages would those be? Slower transfer speeds, or smaller capacity? I don't mean to sound snide (I'm not doing a very good job am I? :-), but I have seen several claims like this, but have yet to understand what they mean. What does DAT have that helical scan doesn't? (Aside from huge delays in product shipment - like you said, the Exabyte's been around for over a year ... their *2nd* wave of products is due Summer-ish I think ...). Anyway, anything you can say to enlighten me will be appreciated. > Cheers, > Paul Perlmutter > paulp@hpfcla Disclaimer: I am NOT associated with Exabyte in any way shape or form, except that I've used their tape drives. cheeks@edsr.eds.com or ...uunet!edsr!cheeks