>Examples of supported media devices are: tape, CD-ROM drives,
>removable disk drives like JAZ drives and ZIP drives.
Advisory on Iomega Jaz (if not also Zip) technology...
I got into Jaz a few years ago, and was delighted with the convenience of the
high-capacity removable cartridge, and the near-hard-drive speed, especially
with the 2 GB Jaz. I was very happy with the technology - and then all of my
cartridges started failing, evidenced by mounting problems, I/O errors, and
finally the utter inability to reformat them - despite trying on four
different Jaz drives, including a new one. I was particularly dismayed to
find this happen to a 2 GB cartridge that I had used only a couple of times.
(The cartridges had all been carefully handled, and stored in environments
which are ordinary in temperature and humidity.) A web search revealed that
this is a well-known problem plaguing Iomega customers en mass, and has become
known as the "Click of Death", so named because of the noise the drive makes
as it struggles to read the disk.
(See http://news.cnet.com/news/0,10000,0-1003-200-326083,00.html et al)
Iomega has been anything but open and forthcoming about this pervasive
problem, and continues to sell this stuff as though nothing is wrong.
I have come to the conclusion that a magnetic disk technology based upon
removing the platter assembly from the drive & head assembly is folly.
I am now trying DVD-RAM technology, which is relatively sluggish but quite
acceptable for data transport uses. I have always had a philosophical bent
toward optical disc technology in that unlike some magnetic media (tape,
floppy) the heads never contact the surface, and the recording layer is far
better protected than with hard disks, whose surface coating has to be very
thin and susceptible to attack by oxidation and pollution if not in a
hermetically sealed case (hence a conspicuous exposure with Jaz). Heck, you
can even wipe optical discs clean if necessary. In concert with DVD-RAM, I'm
trying FireWire connection technology, which is outstanding in cable lengths,
number of devices on a loop, speed, and hot-plugability.
(Technology note: The industry convention is that the spelling is "disk" for
magnetic disks, and "disc" for optical platters, to immediately distinguish
them.)
Richard Sims, BU
|
