FYI: Win98 OEM Service Release, now in testing, includes drivers for the "Device Bay" specification, which allow hot swapping of all kinds of drives including 1394 spec 'Fire Wire'....
What is Device Bay from a consumer standpoint?
Device Bay is a simple way to add, remove, and share hardware devices. Adding a Device Bay device is as simple as inserting a tape into a VCR. Removing that device is just like ejecting the tape: the user merely pushes a button and the device comes out. There is no need to reboot the system or put it to sleep. You can add a DVD player to your system, replace your 14.4 analog modem with a high-speed digital model, or borrow your friend's satellite decoder for the weekend. Device Bay bays may also be available on consumer devices like televisions. Then, the recordable DVD that you use to back up your hard disk can also be used to record your favorite TV shows.
What kind of devices can be put in Device Bay?
Any computer peripheral can be put in a Device Bay bay, except for memory, CPUs, and video cards. The number of potential devices is unlimited, but some devices we expect to see in the next two years are:
*Readable and writeable CD and DVD drives
*Smart card readers
*Satellite television decoders
*High-speed digital modems and network cards
*Hard drives
*High-capacity removable media drives (Jaz, LS-120, MO, Zip)
*Audio devices (multichannel audio decoders, audio effects processors)
device-bay.org |
