In message Sun, 19 Jun 1994 11:24:34 -0600, Richard Johnson <Richard.Johnson@Colorado.EDU> writes:
How about a SCSI device instead. Most UNIX boxes and Macs nowadays have a few unused SCSI IDs. The great majority of DOS machines with SCSI (all those new ones with CD-ROMs, etc.) have unused SCSI IDs. SCSI has the advantage of being rather fast, and is a cross-platform solution.
Sadly, the state of PC platform SCSI is in turmoil, at least right now. Microsoft is working hard to convince folks that Enhanced-IDE is the answer, and many CD-ROMs, big disks, etc. that are aimed at the mass market are no longer SCSI, but E-IDE. I don't think you can substantiate your claim that a "great majority of DOS machines" have SCSI. Worse, MS is pushing hard to push into Windows-for-Workgroups. Many OEMs no longer ship Windows, even for standalone PCs. They ship W4Wg. W4Wg's support for SCSI devices is a step or two down from even W4Wg 3.10. My SCSI disk setup (1.7GB Maxtor) is significantly slower under W4Wg 3.11 because MS changed things to the point that I no longer have 32-bit disk I/O. Chicago is claimed to have "better" SCSI support, but I was hoping that I could get this at least prototyped this summer. No RSN reliance on 3rd party vendors for me, thanks. Right now, SCSI is too high-end (Suns, HP, Macs, serious PCs, etc.) for the market that I have in mind. Pat Pat Farrell Grad Student pfarrell@cs.gmu.edu Department of Computer Science George Mason University, Fairfax, VA Public key availble via finger #include <standard.disclaimer>