Lesson plan
Linear Flash
Linear Flash is a PC card flash memory format. Linear Flash requires no battery support, unlike somewhat faster SRAM, and features read/write speeds much faster than similar, less expensive ATA-type cards, which include CompactFlash and Memory Stick. Like an SRAM, Linear Flash supports execute in place (XIP) applications in mobile PC and embedded equipment. Linear Flash can also be read and written to by laptops and desktops with PC card slots, and is somewhat popular for sensitive data storage because the media is non-volatile and does not degrade over time. However, large-scale storage is impractical using Linear Flash because of small card sizes (typically under 40 megabytes) and prohibitive costs; megabyte-for-megabyte, Linear Flash cards are often dozens of times more expensive than ATA cards. Combined with file management software, such as Flash Translation Layer (FTL) or M-Systems TrueFFS Flash File System, the Linear Flash cards provide removable disk emulation. As PC Cards (was PCMCIA), Linear Flash cards should have a Card Information Structure (CIS). However, many memory cards do not have a CIS. Linear Flash cards begin to develop bad blocks after about 100,000 erase/write cycles and thus are of dubious value on the second-hand market.
Article summary
Linear Flash is a PC card flash memory format. Linear Flash requires no battery support, unlike somewhat faster SRAM, and features read/write speeds much faster than similar, less expensive ATA-type cards, which include CompactFlash and Memory Stick. Like an SRAM, Linear Flash supports execute in place (XIP) applications in mobile PC and embedded equipment. Linear Flash can also be read and written to by laptops and desktops with PC card slots, and is somewhat popular for sensitive data storage because the media is non-volatile and does not degrade over time. However, large-scale storage is impractical using Linear Flash because of small card sizes (typically under 40 megabytes) and prohibitive costs; megabyte-for-megabyte, Linear Flash cards are often dozens of times more expensive than ATA cards. Combined with file management software, such as Flash Translation Layer (FTL) or M-Systems TrueFFS Flash File System, the Linear Flash cards provide removable disk emulation. As PC Cards (was PCMCIA), Linear Flash cards should have a Card Information Structure (CIS). However, many memory cards do not have a CIS. Linear Flash cards begin to develop bad blocks after about 100,000 erase/write cycles and thus are of dubious value on the second-hand market.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.