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- From: Aric.Caley@ofa123.fidonet.org
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
- Subject: Re: Reasons for Amiga CD
- X-Sender: newtout 0.06 Jan 3 1993
- Message-ID: <14410afd@ofa123.fidonet.org>
- Date: 04 Jan 93 01:53:06
- Lines: 72
-
- > Organization: ProLine [pro-freedom] AppleVan (Apple UG of Vancouver, WA)
- > From: eeb@pro-freedom.cts.com (Ed Brown)
- > Message-ID: <1993Jan3.003230.7248@pro-freedom.cts.com>
- > Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
- >
- > > It wouldn't cost much more to make a CD-ROM interface than it would to
- > make
- > > a Floppy disk interface.
- >
- > Isn't this the same interface that CBM decided not to make available on the
- > A4000, preferring instead to offer the cheap IDE system? Personally, I
- > can't wait to see which is offered with the A4000T. ;-)
-
- You've got me. It would be nice to see both SCSI-II *and* CDTV/CD-ROM
- support on the A4000T (and the SCSI-II card).
-
- > > The *drives* may cost more for CD-ROM than for
- > > Floppy disk; although when buying them in large quantities the price
- > may
- > > come very close.
- >
- > I can see where this might be the case someday but it seems a ways off yet.
- > Yes, audio CDROM can be made and sold pretty cheap but so far, computer
- > CDROM seems considerably more expensive. At their cheapest, I've seen the
- > slow Mitsumi CDROM drives selling for $189 and the 1.44 meg floppy drives
- > going for $50. Floppy interfaces for a PC cost $9. Can't say what the
- > Amiga floppy interface sells for as it is not a separately available part
- > but I suspect that it costs more than this. We still have almost a 4:1
- > cost ratio between the cheapest available drives, CDROM:floppy. While this
- > is better than 6 or 8:1, it is still nowhere near a point that CBM would
- > find attractive. Remember that CBM tends not to think of single units but
- > in multiples of 1,000,000 units... save $1/unit and you've got an extra
- > million dollars you didn't have before. This is the mentality that gave us
- > IDE instead of SCSI, even though most of us recognize the inherent
- > superiority of SCSI when compared to IDE. IDE has basically *1* primary
- > benefit... it's CHEAP. Now, looking at this situation, do you still
- > contend that CDROM drives and floppy drives are similar in cost? Sorry. I
- > just can't see it... at least at this time. In 5 years, who knows.
-
- First of all, I didnt say it - Commodore did (apparently). I was simply
- commenting on the meaning of the statement they made, attempting to make a
- "speculative clarification".
-
- Secondly, nobody said CDROMs and Floppy drives are similar in cost (at
- least, I did not and I dont think Commodore did, which is why I was trying
- to clarify their statement). I said: "I think Commodore is saying that
- the *INTERFACE* for a CD-ROM wouldnt cost more than an *INTERFACE* for a
- floppy drive".
-
- Finaly, its possible that they were not talking about normal floppy drives
- in the comparison - they might have meant the Chinon HD floppy that the
- Amiga uses, which is indeed expensive. Or perhaps they meant the 2.88 meg
- floppies, or 20Meg flopticals.
-
- At any rate, you are arguing to the wrong person - I dont know. Ask
- Commodore what they meant.
-
- > Regards,
- >
- > * Edward E. Brown II * Internet: eeb@pro-freedom.cts.com *
- > * Chemist On A Mission From GOD! * FidoNet: 1:105/135 *
- > *--------------------------------------------------------------------*
- > Annoy the media...Think for yourself!
- > ==============================================================
-
- -Dances With Coyotes-EMAIL: dances@qed.cts.com-At the begining of the movie-
- --AKA Dances V2.0/Coyote/Critter/Magnet/Major--they know they have to find-
- -Former Net-Lurker - A-M-I-G-A! NOT AMEOBA%#$!-each other.... but they ride-
- -World's slower programer and cursed with 1.3!-off in opposite directions-
-
-
- --- Maximus 2.01wb
-