RAM DISK

[Yousuf Khan]

I'm glad you are aware of that.

There are easier ways, BTW.

Yeah, Notepad++ itself will happily change all file associations for
you, through its settings screen.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

The next challenge will be to come up with a standard interface faster
than the SATA interface, and allow an SSD to plug in almost directly
into the PCI-E bus. The only reason we're using the SATA interface at
all is because we want to maintain compatibility with hard disks, but
when hard disks go away, the need to maintain compatibility with them
will have passed too. They do have some SSD's that currently plug into
PCI-E x4 or higher interface, but they are by no means standardized
devices.

Yousuf Khan

OTOH, there is along history of new hard drive interfaces not retaining
compatibility with existing hard drive interfaces

But right now, I can't even remember the names of the ones before IDE...

No - wait - I recall FM and MFM (my memory system has a slow access
time).

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Yeah, Notepad++ itself will happily change all file associations for
you, through its settings screen.

Yousuf Khan

Actually, I seem to have done that recently. At least on some computers
here, double clicking a txt file brings it up in Notepad++. I tend not
to double-click, since "Edit with Notepad++" is in the context menu for
just about *any* file. It's just my habit, there's no real reason for
doing it that way.

Not only am I sloppy about my file associations (sometimes
intentionally), it looks like I'm even sloppier about remembering what
I've done

 

[Yousuf Khan]

OTOH, there is along history of new hard drive interfaces not retaining
compatibility with existing hard drive interfaces

But right now, I can't even remember the names of the ones before IDE...

No - wait - I recall FM and MFM (my memory system has a slow access
time).

Perhaps you're thinking of these standards:

(1) MFM
(2) RLL
(3) ESDI
(4) SCSI

Yousuf Khan

 

[Paul]

OTOH, there is along history of new hard drive interfaces not retaining
compatibility with existing hard drive interfaces

But right now, I can't even remember the names of the ones before IDE...

No - wait - I recall FM and MFM (my memory system has a slow access
time).

But there's no reason for them to do that.

In the past, it was relatively expensive to emulate hardware in new
designs. Now, it's a slam dunk. If they did have direct attach PCI
Express flash SSDs, they could just make them look like an Intel
standard AHCI storage controller. That's all the OS would need to
see from its side. Device Manager would end up with a "storage chip" showing,
for each PCIe SSD plugged into the computer. (And they don't have to
use AHCI if they don't want to - it might all depend on patents and
licenses, as to which path they chose. Patents are more of a barrier
to doing the right thing, than tech issues.)

Whatever they decide to do, it won't need new drivers.

Paul

 

[Ken Blake]

Perhaps you're thinking of these standards:

(1) MFM
(2) RLL
(3) ESDI
(4) SCSI

and (5) EIDE

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

But there's no reason for them to do that.

In the past, it was relatively expensive to emulate hardware in new
designs. Now, it's a slam dunk. If they did have direct attach PCI
Express flash SSDs, they could just make them look like an Intel
standard AHCI storage controller. That's all the OS would need to
see from its side. Device Manager would end up with a "storage chip" showing,
for each PCIe SSD plugged into the computer. (And they don't have to
use AHCI if they don't want to - it might all depend on patents and
licenses, as to which path they chose. Patents are more of a barrier
to doing the right thing, than tech issues.)

Whatever they decide to do, it won't need new drivers.

Paul

You *are* an optimist

I hope you're right.

 

[charlie]

OTOH, there is along history of new hard drive interfaces not retaining
compatibility with existing hard drive interfaces

But right now, I can't even remember the names of the ones before IDE...

No - wait - I recall FM and MFM (my memory system has a slow access
time).

I can remember having my hands on a Mil Spec 1 TB solid state drive in
the middle 80's. It was about the size of a 4 slice toaster.
There also was an optical I/O available for it that was considerably
faster than the common IDE/PATA and other I/O schemes SCSI? of the time.

One of the problems was the type of fiber optic cables used. They were
subject to failure or degradation under some types of vibration
encountered on the jet fighters of the day. It was a choice between
temperature range or resistance to vibration, not both.

Given all the advances in electronics since then, I'm really surprised
that an optical I/O hasn't become more of an alternative.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

and (5) EIDE

No, he was talking about the interfaces *before* IDE. EIDE was after
IDE, and it did retain full compatibility with IDE. You could even say
SATA has maintained compatibility with IDE, at least at the device
driver level, if not at the physical connector level.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Ken Blake]

No, he was talking about the interfaces *before* IDE.

Yep! Now that you say that and as I read more carefully, I see "I
can't even remember the names of the ones before IDE."

Sorry.