Has disk technology peaked?

[Chris Jackson]

>     I'm beginning to wonder if disk technology peaked in the late 1970s.
>We have two Fujitsu Eagles.  One has been replaced twice, and the other
>has been replaced once, both in the last 18 months.  We also have ten
>CDC9766 drives.  Two have over 60,000 hours on the clock, and the other
>eight have over 30,000 hours each.  We haven't had a head crash with lost
>data on a CDC9766 since early in the decade.  
>     Yes, those big drives cost more.  But only about 30% more.  Will
>your Eagles still be flying at 60,000 hours?  I wish CDC still made those
>big tanks.
>					John Nagle

Where I used to work, we had both an Eagle and a CDC9766;  no problems
at all with the Eagle (in two years), but the 9766 has head crashed at
least once a year for the past five.  Not only is the Eagle more reliable,
it's smaller, quieter, cooler, and burns less power.  I'll take one over a
tank any day.
________________________________________________________________________________
  Chris Jackson     MSU Engineering Computer Facility     ihnp4!msudoc!jackson

     "186,000 miles per second - it's not just a good idea, it's the law."