🚀 go-pugleaf

On Jan 3rd, izumi@pinoko.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) writes:
> I just came across this, and thought you might be interested.
> 
> NeXT's original optical disk flopped, but this may be what everyone
> wanted all along with features:
> 
> * 130MB re-writable storage
> * Cheap blank media ($12 now) which you can buy in any audio store
> * For mass distribution, pre-recorded (read-only) stamped format
>    like CD-ROM is available.  Will it be called MD-ROM?

How fast is it?

MO drives are getting close to hard drive speeds now, and can handle 256 meg  
cartridges (on 3.5" disks).  You can't get the speed *and* the 256 meg size  
in the same drive (yet), but I'm sure that future drives will improve on  
current offerings.  Me, I'd like something even larger than 130 meg for use  
on the NeXT (though 100meg would be fine for my Mac).

> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Newsgroups: clari.nb.trends,clari.nb.top,biz.clarinet.sample
> Subject:  ****Sony to Create Mini-Disks for PC Storage 12/24/92
> 
> Expected to be ready for commercial release in about two years,
> the Mini-Disk is smaller than a 3.5-inch floppy disk, but it
> can store 130 megabytes data, or about 130 times more than 
> a regular 3.5-inch floppy disk. With these advantages, Sony is
> betting that the Mini-Disk will replace not only floppy disks 
> but also the optical disc in the future.

If they don't expect commercial release of this for another two years, then  
they should realize that they shouldn't be comparing themselves with 1.4 meg  
floppy drives (gee, the NeXT has 2.8 already, and that doesn't count newer  
floptical or 3.5" MO drive technologies).  If this was available *today* it  
could be a big hit, but two years from now the competition will be much  
different, I'm sure.

--
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =     gad@eclipse.its.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer            (handles NeXT-type mail)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;           Troy NY    USA