Darren Reed wrote: > On 7/01/2010 6:16 AM, Garrett D'Amore wrote: >> Darren J Moffat wrote: >>> >>> >>> One reason a Cardbus/PCMCIA CF reader is interesting in this area is >>> so that there isn't a cable hanging out of the laptop to a reader - >>> something that might be important when "in the field" uploading from >>> your cards to the laptop. Sure most people doing this are probably >>> using a Mac or Windows but at least some of us do use OpenSolaris >>> for this. >> >> #1. I've not suggested EOF'ing any support for CF! That would >> clearly be a bad idea. >> #2. Cardbus != PCMCIA. Cardbus is much better, behaves like PCI, >> and gets PCI-like speeds. PCMCIA is much closer to ISA. >> >> So if I can eliminate pcata because there are good cardbus readers, >> or USB is adequate, then I can remove a fair of rather complex code. >> Its not a priority for me at the moment, but if I were to undertake >> other "cleanups" in the pcmcia framework, it would be one less >> significant chunk of code that I'd have to touch. > > I'm not aware of any CardBus to CF adapters that are currently > available for sale, only PCMCIA and Express Card. If it was no longer > possible to buy PCMCIA-CF card adapaters, then I'd agree with you.
Here's a good example of a Cardbus->CF device (found right way with google "cardbus compact flash"): http://www.dpreview.com/news/0310/03100702delkincardbuscf.asp Here is another: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812150014&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Adapters+and+gender+changers-_-PPA+International-_-12150014 There are a number of others apparently. PCMCIA sucks, and it seems like the industry (even that portion concerned with CF) understands this. > > As I mentioned earlier, it is the form factor that makes this option > attractive. Cardbus has the same form factor (well ... mostly... all Cardbus slots can take both PCMCIA and Cardbus, but the reverse is not true. Nobody has made a laptop in the past decade that is PCMCIA only though -- or at least I've never heard one), but is electrically somewhat different. You want Cardbus, not PCMCIA, if you have a choice. Both have the same physical advantages, but Cardbus is a *lot* faster than 16-bit PCMCIA. (Recall, PCMCIA maxes out at 20 Mbits -bits! -- per second, and really doesn't have bus mastering support. Cardbus can go much faster and supports true bus mastering.) - Garrett
