The Small questions thread

[fractal]

This thread is meant for small questions that don't deserve an entire thread.

What is the dot in .NET?

 

[Arathald]

.NET was named in the late 1990s to jump on the internet marketing craze. Dot NET was intended to evoke the ubiquitous dot-com name that was everywhere on the internet. Eventually it became the name for the Managed Runtime Framework.

source:
Why was .NET called .NET? - Stack Overflow

 

[pro2A]

What is a solid state drive (SSD)? I've heard of them, they are new and I am intrigued.

 

[Smelnick]

Solid state basically means that there are no moving parts. Hence, it stays solid. As far as how they managed to make that work, I have no clue.

 

[pro2A]

Solid state basically means that there are no moving parts. Hence, it stays solid. As far as how they managed to make that work, I have no clue.

Smel... you smart guy you :cute: Thanks for clarifying that first part I was at a total loss :lol: Nothing is too obvious to point out...

I'll rephrase my question... what does a solid state drive do?

 

[Blueyes]

same as a regular hard drive. i usually find them in tablets

 

[Arathald]

Solid-State Drives use something called 'flash memory' to store data, instead of a traditional magnetic disk. This is the exact same technology as in usb flash drives and SD cards, etc., so an SSD is essentially a giant flash drive.

In a traditional magnetic drive, the magnetic disks spin, and the read/write head has to move back and forth across the disks. This means that the drive consumes a large amount of power, and if the drive is dropped while it is on, the read/write head can hit the magnetic disk and damage it permanently.

In an SSD, however, there are no moving parts, so not only does the drive consume less power, but a computer with an SSD can be jostled around and dropped while it is on with very little risk to the disk.

The technology behind SSDs is still much more expensive than that for magnetic drives, which is why magnetic drives are still in common use.

 

[pro2A]

Solid-State Drives use something called 'flash memory' to store data, instead of a traditional magnetic disk. This is the exact same technology as in usb flash drives and SD cards, etc., so an SSD is essentially a giant flash drive.

In a traditional magnetic drive, the magnetic disks spin, and the read/write head has to move back and forth across the disks. This means that the drive consumes a large amount of power, and if the drive is dropped while it is on, the read/write head can hit the magnetic disk and damage it permanently.

In an SSD, however, there are no moving parts, so not only does the drive consume less power, but a computer with an SSD can be jostled around and dropped while it is on with very little risk to the disk.

The technology behind SSDs is still much more expensive than that for magnetic drives, which is why magnetic drives are still in common use.

That brings up part two of my question, I hear it boots up PC's much quicker. Does it actually serve as another hard drive, or does it give your regular drives a bigger boost?

 

[Nevyrmoore]

They only help if everything's on the solid state drive. They function as complete hard drives, so you can chuck your OS and your programs on there. But if you've got your programs on the SSD and your OS is on a traditional magnetic drive, it'll still take the same amount of time for your OS to load.

 

[Doc]

Your best bet would be to install the OS on the SSD and leave your programs on the standard hard drive.

I can't wait for the prices to come down on SSDs. The traditional hard drive is going to go the way of the floppy.