It's not in the press release but Aladdin 4D 6.0 is coming to Mac OS X too.

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Sent from my Quantum Computer.

@DiscreteFX
I'm sorry, but you are talking rubbish: It is USB Memory Sticks that are the "medium that's long term viability is unknown", where-as CD/DVD-ROMs have been around far longer & are much more proven.

In fact CD/DVD-ROMs (the ones pressed in factories) should last decades, if not a century. CD/DVD-Rs & RWs should last maybe 5-15 years, depending on the temperature conditions they are subjected to, because of chemical changes in the dye.

USB Memory Sticks are *guaranteed* to start loosing their data in something like 5-10 years (unless the drive contents is totally rewritten), because the electrons stored in the transistors gradually diffuse through the insulation layer, eventually leaving no electrons (thus a 1 becomes a 0 after enough years). Newer USB sticks have smaller transistors, which hold less electrons & have a thinner insulator, thus they are likely to start loosing data sooner than old USB sticks.


Thus CD/DVD-ROMs pressed in factories are the best long-term solution. IMHO your switching to USB Memory Sticks is more likely a cost-saving measure designed to reduce out-dated inventory. For which I can't blame you, but I do disagree with saying it is something it isn't.

Last edited by ChrisH on 19-Apr-2009 at 11:28 PM.
Last edited by ChrisH on 19-Apr-2009 at 11:26 PM.
Last edited by ChrisH on 19-Apr-2009 at 11:25 PM.

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Author of the PortablE programming language.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue...

DVD is so 90s =P

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Amiga Developer
Amiga 500, Efika, Mac Mini and PowerBook

Nice! In the company I work for I always wanted to distribute USB flash disks with custom logo for our clients. But then comes the price argument. The CD is still cheaper.

Anyway, how will your flash disk look like? sAny link with picture?

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Modern Retro Experience

@ChrisH

DiscreetFX only uses Military Spec Flash-drives and they are guaranteed for up to 1000 years.

_________________
Sent from my Quantum Computer.

Quote:

DiscreetFX only uses Military Spec Flash-drives and they are guaranteed for up to 1000 years.

But, can you read them in year 3009?

(Try reading C64-tapes with todays hardware "straight from the box, and you see what I mean )

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Site admins are people too..pooff!

Ah! Doomy would be proud!

But I agree with ChrisH. Such a volatile medium as a USB stick is likely to be damaged by accidental static discharge, high ambient temperatures and humidity. It is also possible that "accidents' can happen to it while plugged into a computer.

A pressed Read-only CD/DVD is much more likely to survive in the long run.

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cheers
tony

Hyperion Support Forum: http://forum.hyperion-entertainment.biz/index.php

Way to go Bill.
Yes, USB Flash isn't a perfect medium, but statistically it has better integrity numbers than DVD/CD ROM.

Eddie

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All the way, with 68k

Quote:

Ah! Doomy would be proud!

My thoughts exactly.

1000 years? Any such claim is spurious.

Unless it's dog years. Then it's only mildly spurious.

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Quote:

DiscreetFX only uses Military Spec Flash-drives and they are guaranteed for up to 1000 years.

Are they guaranteed against British intelligence services staff leaving them on the train.

Well, what's the point anyway ?

Since when is it a problem ? And while reading this it appears Aladdin is selling 50 000 units a month...

Seems to me it is another attempt to sell old stock Aladdin software...

So: any news about OS4 port of Aladdin ? Now, a demo of Aladdin OS4 would make a nice news post... But this one, really...

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http://www.warpdesign.fr/

@ChrisH

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3940669.stm

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"Miracles we do at once, the impossible takes a little longer" - AJS on Hyperion
Avatar is Tabitha by Eric W Schwartz

WHAT?

DVDs? CDs? USB KEYS?

ALL OBSOLETE!

The future is in PLAIN SOLID OLD PAPER SHEET!

Over 256 GIGABYTES on a single A4 (european size) format paper sheet...

It is named Rainbow Technology... And it has been invented by Sainul Abideen an indian student of Engineering!

http://www.poombatta.com/Submission/rainbowtechnology.htm

Videoclip from Associated Press here:

http://it.video.yahoo.com/watch/2763810/8025597

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"When the Amiga came out, everyone [at Apple] was scared as hell." (J.L. Gassée, former CEO of Apple France and chief of devs of Mac II-fx, interviewed by Amazing Computing, Nov 1996).

@ChrisY
I am inclined to blame that on a manufacturing process, rather than a problem with the technology itself.

And I'm quite sure Flash Memory is far more prone to problems, like any read-write medium. CD-RWs are the perfect example of that.


@DiscreteFX Quote:

DiscreetFX only uses Military Spec Flash-drives and they are guaranteed for up to 1000 years.

I suggest that you re-read the specs, or point me to them, because I simply do not believe their transistors will hold enough electrons to retain their data for 1000 years. Oh sure, the transistors themselves might last that long, so you could read-write once say every 10 years.

But if you don't refresh the contents every 5-10 years, the electrons will gradually leak through the transistor's insulation layer. Look here:
http://www.starbursthomepage.com/FlashPoint/ApplicationNote/ApplicationNote-FlashMemroyTechnology460.pdf
Quote:

The silicon dioxide insulator is so effective that a floating gate transistor (so-called because the gate "floats" above the rest of the transistor) will retain data for 10 years.

_________________
Author of the PortablE programming language.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue...

The Aladdin 4D 6.0 for OS 4.1 is 100% PPC? or still is the 68k that it works in OS 4.1?

@Leo

If we were trying to sell old stock of Aladdin 4D's would it only get a small mention at the end of the press release? We are focused on the new version.

@Templario

Yes, Aladdin 4D 6.0 for Amiga OS 4.x is 100% PPC.

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Sent from my Quantum Computer.

I think the move to USB drives is a good move.
Floppies are just about gone, and a lot of new computers (especially netbooks and slim laptops) have no optical drive as well.

I cannot speak to the reliability of flash, but I wonder if the future of software distribution might be served with "old school" mask ROMs in a USB package?
Even better would be a package that includes the application in mask-ROM and some data storage Flash in the same package.. perhaps embedding a USB hub would allow one part to be re-writable while the other is ROM only. FTDI is already embedding unique ID numbers into some serial adapters, to allow keying an executable to a specific serial number.

Just thinking out loud. USB seems to be becoming the universal replacement for all the legacy stuff we are getting rid of. Serial, parallel,PS2,Floppy,CDROM.. all going the way of the Dodo, with USB as the primary replacement. I wonder what will go next?

Will monitors embed their own graphics cards? Just buy a good USB hub to allow multi-monitor setups? Could be cool.

How about applications that include the executable (ROM), Data storage (Flash), and whatever peripherals they might need (Synthesizers, audio digitizers,audio mixer, all for a music studio, for instance) all in a single USB module?

Now I'm way out there.. just wondering.
Maybe embed a PPC processor and an OS in a single stick? Hee Hee

LyleHaze

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question=(2b||!(2b))

@DiscreetFX

Quote:

DiscreetFX only uses Military Spec Flash-drives and they are guaranteed for up to 1000 years.

I know there is an inside-the-community joke about mil-spec. But as a company do you really want to continue this old, very tired joke?

Worse, there really are mil-spec flash drives BTW. So with no emoticon showing you are joking, you have just actually made a product claim that I am guessing is actually untrue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-810

Quote:

The IRONKEY portable flash drive is compliant with MIL-STD-810F for waterproofing and shock resistance.

Quote:

SanDisk CompactFlash 5000 Industrial Grade comply fully with MIL-STD-810F meeting the strictest environmental requirements for mission-critical applications.

Last edited by fairlanefastback on 20-Apr-2009 at 11:15 PM.
Last edited by fairlanefastback on 20-Apr-2009 at 11:15 PM.

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Pegasos2 G3 running AOS 4.1 and MorphOS 2.0
Amikit user, tinkering with Icaros VM (AROS)
EFIKA owner
Amiga 1200

@ Discreet FX

I would like to know ASAHP = as soon as humanely possible

When the aladdin 6 for amiga os4.1 and sam is available.

I will buy straight away. I already have cinema 4d and Imagine 5.19 ACUP, unfortunately, the latter gives me problems, hence, I severly need a modern CAD raytracer program, that will allow me to do special type of animated intro sequences, as well as general inbetween sequences, for the distant future of planned gear.

Thank you kindly for supporting Amiga BTW. By all means sell it for mac users also, but please, please, if you ever upgrade to Aladdin 7.0, do stil create an amiga version. Dont let money become an issue.

Thank you.

BlitterWolf

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Courtesy of SAM440Flex & Amiga OS4.1 only
Flex is 800mhz
A1000 with Classic 520 Amiga OS3.2.1
AmiKit 12
MorphOS PowerBook G4 (which can play youtube vids)

https://blitterwolf.blogspot.com

Good move. CD/DVD are obsolete, you can always run inot bad written or scrathced units. USB memory sticks are a better choice, who cares if they could start loosing data in 5-10 years, you can always make a backup copy or in the future ask for a replacementet key.

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ikir