Unfortunately, while I am well aware of all that you said, and certainly a
big fan of leaving the mechanical access devices behind, I am still caught
firmly in the present.
By MD, I mean the MiniDisc audio recording and playback media which is
rapidly replacing the Compact Disc. While the metaphore is precisely the
same (except for initial read write capability), the format is much small.
74 minutes of stereo (140 min monaural) on a 3 1/4 inch size MO disc in a
protective, permanent sleeve.
What I am unsure of is whether these cheap and popular MO discs are the same
as previously used or if they are a new and different format. And, if
anyone has examined the possibility of modifying the playback mechanism --
which is a sophisticated and fast digital read/write device -- for data
storage.
So, while we may all like memory packs to be a mainstay of secondary
storage, we all still rely on mechanical disks to a great extent. Not
because we aren't forward thinking, but because they are damn cheap,
practical and standard.
-Mike
