🚀 go-pugleaf

Maynard Handley <maynard@groo.msc.cornell.edu) writes:

>>I remain mystified as to why anyone would want to buy these things.

Personally, I think they're a bridge/hold-over. With the tons of PC products
in the world people got really used to using sneaker-net to move data and "fun"
programs from machine to machine.

As the capacity of these machines continues to increase the need for higher
volume distribution and back-up media has been increasing. But people STILL
want to play sneaker-net to the old machines (a lot of the PCs have never been
near a network in their lives, and many of the home machines have never really
needed one). 

Now using a series of 20MB floppies may not be the cleanest installation you
can think of, but most of the installs that I can easily think of (including
an OS) could pretty readily be done in under 15 floppies. And most would be
under ten. I think a lot of folks are willing to live with that level of pain
to be able to read PC floppies in the same drive.


Personally, I think that the newer 3.5" Magneto/Opticals are a better bet. But
I don't think they'll pick up fast enough. Now, if somebody was to be smart
enough to add the firmware to be able to read a CDROM (the optics are the same
but the format is different so it requires additional firmware...at least that
is what Pioneer told me about modifying one of their drives). Then you'd have
to get the software folks to start using the 3.5" size for their CDROMs. But, I
think that would be an overall win. And I think the resulting volumes would be
enough to really pull the media costs for M/O into line. IMHO, of course.

				Thanx,
				  AJ

	
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