Technology is wonderful.

Cookiemonster · Apr 20, 2008, 01:22:38

You have to marvel at today's technology! I mean fitting 8GB into something as small as this....

Quite extraordinary.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 09:56:19

it wouldn't suprise me if in a years time they have 128gb in the same space!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 10:41:39

Most of that, of course, is the 'package'. Things could be much smaller if it were practical for us to use them at the reduced size.

Sebby · Apr 20, 2008, 13:04:08

Very interesting point, Rik, I've never really thought of that.

I remember being impressed by 1.44MB floppy disks, so I'm sure that one day there'll be something even more amazing that this, which at this time is difficult to believe.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 16:57:50

Something which writes/reads quicker would be nice!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 17:06:38

It's happening all the time, Lance. The latest generation of cards are way faster (and cheaper) than the first. With IBM working on their new storage technology, expect the terrabyte SD card in the next couple of years...

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 17:09:34

Once they are a bit faster, solid state hard drives will be much more practical!

Cookiemonster · Apr 20, 2008, 17:10:46

Expensive things aren't they!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 17:14:18

For now. My first CD player a 1x affair, complete with SCSI interface, cost over £200. My first 10MB HD cost £300. My first packet of floppies (5.25", 160K) cost £36, 32K of RAM cost about £60...

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 17:16:41

In 10 years time, when we are all using multiple terabyte disks, we'll laugh at the prices of today's 500gig ones!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 17:17:46

Not to mention the 16-core, 22GHz processors...

Noreen · Apr 20, 2008, 17:18:37

http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn13426-quantum-dot-memory-may-be-holy-grail-of-computing.html

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 17:21:11

With the commercial interest, you can pretty much guarantee the technology making it out of the labs, Noreen. In one respect, I'd like to live another 100 years, just to see how things develop.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 18:32:11

And then another 100 years after that, and again, and again, and again!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 18:34:08

I know. We'll never see it all, but it would be nice to be able to do so.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 18:39:05

Indeed. It would be good to see a national fibre network within my time!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 18:42:26

You stand a chance - I don't think I do.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 18:53:23

I don't know. I think that once they have started it will all be done quite quickly. It's just the getting started that is the problem!

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 18:55:28

Well, if Ofcom were to be abolished, it would be a start - in more ways than one.

Cookiemonster · Apr 20, 2008, 18:57:00

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 18:58:13

Getting rid of the uso would be another good thing. All the money saved from no longer having to operate loss making phone-boxes could be ploughed into fibre.

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 18:59:48

The only risk there is that some people would no longer be able to get a phone line installed. Certainly, phone boxes could go though.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 19:02:53

Maybe a new, much more relaxed uso then? Get rid of the phone boxes, but keep the inportant things. BT would agree because its better than they currently have.

Rik · Apr 20, 2008, 19:06:31

I think so. Include broadband in the USO, with certain exceptions, eg physical distance to the exchange. Abandon phone boxes except where a local authority wants one and will fully subsidise it. Scrap the Openreach 'separation' and reduce costs. Forget the limitation on BT's charging scheme, which only benefits the few.

Lance · Apr 20, 2008, 19:11:52

This is the sort of things ofcom executives get paid thousands of pounds to think of!