🚀 go-pugleaf

pngai@adobe.com (Phil Ngai) writes:

> In article <DOCONNOR.92Dec8082938@potato.sedona.intel.com> doconnor@sedona.in
> >Second, don't forget about flash. Intel is building way-dense
> >flash memories, and claims flash will be denser than DRAM
> >as device geometries shrink further.
> 
> Could you please tell me where I can buy Intel FLASH devices?
> Or should I ask _when_ I can buy them?
> 
> -- 
> Remember Melvin Ancheta.

Where to buy Intel FLASH devices?  Why not call INTEL ???????????
They have been in full production and available for at least a year, if
not longer.  (I'll be showing my age here, but FLASH ROMs are the ONLY
ROM chips which I have ever used, and I graduated in '90).  You should
have absolutely no problems getting F010 (128Kx8) or F020 (256Kx8) chips
in either 32-DIP or 32-PLCC.  The newer F001 (1Mx8) chips should be
into general availability by now, but they only come in 40TSOP packages,
so they are not easy to work with (ie: soldered on board, not socketed),
so most of them are used in PCMCIA memory type cards.

I can name at least 4 major PC makers who are shipping systems with
FLASH BIOS ROMs.  They are great for upgrading, the users can just dial
up a BBS and download a new BIOS.  Most companies don't want to
advertise it much because of the fear of some complete bone-headed loser
idiot writing a virus which wipes out ROMs.  That would be a major
problem.  (Intel lore: Early 386SL specs had a pin on the processor
called FLASH_DISASTER which meant that you were in the middle of re-
flashing your ROMs when something happened.  If the pin was active on
a boot, then the SL was supposed to fetch it's code from the parallel
port and not from the ROM.  That way you could rescue a dead machine
without needing to pop the chip.  That pin, however, was dropped from
later versions and never made it into the chips.)

Also, Intel owns the FLASH market (yea, USA!), but they are not the only
people who have FLASH chips.  AMD and Atmel make them also.  (In fact,
AMD and Atmel make 5V only flash;  The Intel ones still require 12V
to program).  Also, AT&T makes serial FLASH ROMs which are used in the
SunDisk(tm) solid state drive system.

Now, to the point of FLASH overtaking DRAM in size with shrinking geometry,
although I've heard this argument, I admit that I don't understand it.
Can't DRAM take advantage of shrinking geometry also?  So if a FLASH cell
can be made smaller than a DRAM cell, then why aren't FLASH cells in
today's technology smaller than DRAMS in today's technology, and so would
have higher density?  Anyone??

Sincerely,
Richard Walter
richardw@parallan.com