Testimonials: The SuperDrive - II

Officiate at least two drives in the picture or video of weddings. The DVDs are then subject 'popular when it comes to pass his work to its customers "have a physical medium,' something 'to give, still waiting" says Nquoi. The USB key is not the same "value" (it does not fit either in a standalone player ...) and these files can represent a few gigabytes, you can not transfer them over the Internet.

It is true that the TV box or know how to use memory sticks, and a Dropbox account or an FTP server can handle (relatively) large volumes. But in a context of sharing that connects several individuals, the equipment they have and their relationship to technology are sometimes very far.

For example, the broadband is not available to all. "Some of us here suggest alternatives SuperDrive many techniques for basic users" Yanik wrote "Let us continue like this and we will see a major segments: the user who will be driven to just use a computer so basic (reading emails, surfing the Internet) and others who have access to sophisticated techniques (that will do what is easily done today). The first will no longer make websites (iWeb missing), making their DVD (disappearance of iDVD) for the grandmother. And the latter will again become the guardians of the temple, only holders of knowledge, like the good old days before the Mac. Not all that good ...”

Two other considerations to enter into, coming from users in varying degrees observe the difference between the idea of ​​scrapping the reader / writer with the internal reality of their daily ... if not a desire to retain some this habit that we have grown to handle a physical medium.

First with SpaceVinc who stumbled on the tools made available through the teaching profession:

"Happy owner of a MacBook Pro 13" (mid-2009) in pursuit of efficiency, I began to study the solution OptiBay + SSD (this cradle to replace the SuperDrive, ed). But I am a teacher and I ' uses every day what is now called the 'digital textbooks. "For most it is a kind of PDF of the manual paper with no real enrichment of the numerical point of view. For reasons that escape me, but are only mercantile, publishers of superimposed and add their 'protection'. This is the requirement to use the built-in Flash to read the contents of the manual (installed with Adobe AIR) than having to insert the CD-ROM every time that we want to see (I should point out that despite all my efforts, I have not managed to bypass this protection ...).

Beyond the really inconvenient to the thing (you have to change CD-ROM when you pass the math lesson of the PC, then put the French to the CE1 ...), I have to walk with my CD-ROM (it's still lighter than the paper manuals that said) and I had to abandon the idea of ​​OptiBay, regretfully I must say. For a personal view, not professional, I only use very rarely (once a month) the SuperDrive and therefore why an external model would do.

I fell back on the SSD solution alone, losing the internal storage, but given the performance gain, I will not go the opposite way. In summary, I think a MacBook Pro SuperDrive is not without an incongruous idea (provided you still have an external drive to the catalog), but the textbook publishers (and more generally by the National Education its guidelines) did not understand the digital input, but the latter is a little off topic ...”

"It is true that one is reluctant to change their habits, but it is also true that we must do away with all of our machines running, scratching, coil takes up space and makes noise. I belong to a generation that experienced and troubleshoot the electronic tube, with knobs, switches and temperamental slabs contacts, variable capacitors true leaf traps dust.

It is obvious that most of the problems we face on our current machines are mechanical, vestiges of the past and all that goes in the direction of the removal of these elements is in the right direction. That said the usefulness of SD into a computer depends heavily on the use we make of his machine. If we can consider the simple deletion in laptops (the majority of views expressed), its presence in the desktop seems justified, the size and cost did not seem an obstacle to maintenance.

I use a big audio, photo and video albums, slideshows, video montages HD, and I store everything on an SD media, which keeps me from shuffling to access my documents. In addition, I go to HD quality without me take the lead with burning Blu-ray which will tell if he really has a (future).

The fact remains that I burn some audio CD for my car radio and a few DVD for those who want to see my films and have no computer, because it takes into account the fact that everyone has yet its flat screen, and that even in this case, the video playback on USB drives is not guaranteed on all TVs, even recent. The home player, despite its weaknesses, is widespread and a DVD will always be read by all. Moreover, the parallel with the floppy drive is completely fanciful: has anyone ever seen a floppy drive on his living room to watch TV? Let's be serious...

The disappearance of the CD / DVD media should take place gradually in parallel with the spread and the price drop of flash media including hard disk drives that are the real weak point of our machines. For 3 / 4 years, maintaining the SD option on desktop machines seems a reasonable solution pending the outcome of current developments. "

Finally reflection Telemac which sets the issue in a broader context:

"I am of the generation that is favorable - for various reasons mentioned - the presence of a drive for me to storage on physical media at home and sharing my creations photos and video. As the removal of the disk could be easily understood since replaced by another physical medium, as the writer of a physical media in favor of paperless solutions that will be the next logical step, I am strongly opposed.

I will reach out to the simple question of the premises or not addressing any related issues to the disappearance of the drive. We know that the trend in the thinking of manufacturers / developers moving towards dematerialisation, as our storage space for the applications, with nothing on our computers. Is a de facto elimination of any possibility of creating physical media, including the DVD burner itself. So my opposition finds its genesis in the principles of democracy, social and "technical financial."

1) democratic approach: I can admit that the storage spaces as icloud can be practical, because according to where I am I have access to my information, but long term I do not want to become hostage to a particular operator can change, especially increase. According to my needs and depending on the application or provision used, it is not impossible that I should have several operators dematerialized. I do not want the files on my personal walk on servers away from home knowing that the regulations on the protection of my private life varies depending on the country is going to be my host. If ultimately no more physical media is, in my binder obligation "technique" to a particular provider, the right to free my arbitration will be affected again by measures "economic" who find their interest for these providers.

2) Social approach: the future of space multiplicity of operators and applications dematerialized, will eventually have a significant impact financially for those less fortunate. The gap will widen computer and the inequality of knowledge. Less equipment to repair, install to produce, maintain = fewer jobs.

3) Technical and financial approach: we all know that to connect to these areas, you need a device over a network link. I take two or three examples that have prevented us from accessing our files on these spaces dematerialized: first a hotel room in which to connect must pay for access to the network (vlan and I have to pay to recover my files and the invoice is salty to download my own files and work on it). Then to show pictures or video of the youngest holiday with grandparents who do not have Internet access. Finally, to make a presentation in business, but not part, I can not access the network and I am not allowed to install the special application on their machine that I use for my presentation, with in addition to the risk that this application does not exist on PC because I'm on Mac.

While I have painted a pessimistic picture by pushing the arguments on the edge, but I tried a projection beyond the mere question of removing a drive and try to go into the field of vision over the long term. "