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From: lauren@RAND-UNIX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: CD-ROMS
Message-ID: <11467@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 17:37:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.11467
Posted: Wed Jul 10 17:37:39 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 06:46:06 EDT
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
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I would tend to doubt the practicality of "Unix on compact disks," at least
as other than a distribution medium.  CD-ROM players are fairly slow in 
the access time department, having a typical average seek time of 2 to
4 seconds in most cases.  The transfer rate isn't spectacular either,
but not too bad.  CD-ROMs may turn out to be excellent for software
distribution and mass archival information... but I can't see running
programs off of them on any sort of regular basis.  The players really
aren't made for that sort of thing, and the basic parameters would
be difficult to change.

By the way, I know of what I speak--I'm working with CD-ROMs right
now; I have an official SONY CD-ROM test disc sitting not five
feet away from me.  Sounds interesting in audio players, by the way...

--Lauren--