Actually, the ATA format was a later development in flash memory cards to
try to bring some standardization to the way the cards are written and read,
whereas the linear flash cards relied on the vendor that used it to figure
this out and everyone had a different way of doing it. Witness the number
of devices that can read a card used in a Newton (with the exceotion of
another Newton...none!).
The ATA format dedicates a small portion of the total flash to an area
roughly analagous to a FAT on a hard drive. It uses this area to index the
contents of the card in a standard way, so other devices can read it. So,
ATA cards used in one device can be taken out of that device and read by an
entirely different device (digital camera cards in the ATA format come with
software so you can read the cards on a laptop or a desktop if it's equipped
with a PCMCIA card slot). The Newton has no idea how to use ATA cards, no
drivers, nothing built into the ROM. Apple was rumored to be considering
this move when the Newton was axed.
The reason that linear flash is so expensive is that it was 1st generation
flash RAM. By the time the manufacturers worked out all of the bugs, got
yields to acceptable levels, established distribution channels and a market,
the compatibility issue had already reared it's head. Some smart engineer
came up with the ATA idea, it was widely adopted very quickly, and most
manufacurers shifted their Flash capacity to the ATA format beause the "new"
devices were being designed to use it. Only manufacturers that had existing
large markets for linear continued to make it, yielding an oligopoly,
keeping prices artificially high. And so it continues, even though the
equipment is probably fully depreciated. As more manufacturers fall out of
the market, the prices will go higher untill they can't be sustained,
killing residual demand and the continued production of linear RAM.
If and until someone looks through the Lantern DDK and seriously attempts to
write an ATA driver for the Newton, we're stuck...and the likelyhood of
someone expending this much effort to do this is low, but stranger things
have happened...recently...with the very quiet release of the IrDA
enhancements for the Newton.
I hope this helped...
Regards,
Gary
----Original Message Follows----
From: "MYQ Y. Q. LARSON" <MYQ@cc.usu.edu>
To: newtontalk@planetnewton.com
Subject: Re: NTLK Compact Flash Memory PCMCIA Adaptors
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 20:51:39 -0600 (MDT)
something to do with the way the Newton OS stores it's data. It needs
linear
flash, which I guess is more like RAM, as opposed to ATA flash, which is I
guess analagous to a hard drive. I'm not really sure what linear nor ATA
mean, but give it a try if you've got access to one. I could be wrong.
Check
the Newton FAQs. I know one talks about memory types.
myq
>Why is this? Is there a voltage difference? Supposedly the card will
work
>with laptops and macs.
>> I believve the answer is "no". Sorry.
>>
>> >Anyone know if Compact Flash Memory will work on a Newton with a PCMCIA
>> >adaptor?
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