Is HD a periphery device

[maestross]

That's a bet === I know answer, but I know more details explanation === thanx

[mrBen]

From

FOLDOC (http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/foldoc.cgi?query=peripheral&action=Search)


peripheral

<hardware> (Or "peripheral device", "device") Any part of a computer other than the CPU or working memory, i.e. disks, keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, tape drives, microphones, speakers, cameras, to list just the less exotic ones.

High speed working memory, such as RAM, ROM or, in the old days, core would not normally be referred to as peripherals. The more modern term "device" is also more general in that it is used for things such as a pseudo-tty, a RAM drive, or a network adaptor.

Some argue that, since the advent of the personal computer, the motherboard, hard disk, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are all parts of the base system, and only use the term "peripheral" for optional additional components.


Therefore, the answer is, it depends ;)

(Personally, I would have usually classified a peripheral as something that isn't vital to the system running, and therefore a disk could be either, depending on whether it was a system disk or a data disk, but there you go....)

Ps (moving to /dev/random as not strictly a Linux hardware problem - more of a bet ;) )

[maestross]

My opinion was exactly:
quote:
Some argue that, since the advent of the personal computer, the motherboard, hard disk, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are all parts of the base system, and only use the term "peripheral" for optional additional components.

[maestross]

you say:
Therefore, the answer is, it depends

(Personally, I would have usually classified a peripheral as something that isn't vital to the system running, and therefore a disk could be either, depending on whether it was a system disk or a data disk, but there you go....)

Yes, Yes, Yes === Correct, Correct,Correct,

What do you thing about a bet? Who is winner?

[mrBen]

I think in a bet the answer is that neither of you win or lose.

On one side you have the 'official' definition, whereby a disk is a peripheral. On the other hand you have the common usage, whereby a disk is probably not, given that disks have now become central to the operation of the machine.

Common usage usually works its way into the dictionary and becomes official, but the current official dictionary definition is that disks are peripherals.

[mdwatts]

I would have bet it could have gone either way. :)

[maestross]

>>I think in a bet the answer is that neither of you win or lose.

I think exactly same like you ===
Tnanks again mrBen

[Parcival]

Hmm, in my last semester's computer architecture class at the local U we considered harddrives to be peripherals devices. The "core system" was defined as CPU, bus and ROM/RAM.

My frist thought when I read the posts was "anything that follows behind the DMA module can be considered peripheral", but the longer I think about it, the more it seems like that definition makes the problem just worse... :)

[freakmn]

I've worked with many a diskless workstation at my previous job. booting from network is a valid computer, and a few that did that had a hard drive for a few local configurations (i.e non critical info). Then you also have those cd-based distros, so a hard drive is not always necessary.

[bs_texas]

From my little dogeared paperback Webster's on my desk:

Periphery - 1. an outer boundary ..., 2. surrounding space or area.

So, since the hardrive is tethered to the mainboard by a ribbon cable, I would call it 'peripheral'.

Take away the case and lay out all the components on a table and see what's integral and what's peripheral.

My $.02