Ray Davison wrote:
 
> I think the real reason they exist is because they look cool in
> plastic, illuminated computer cases.

They exist for that reason and for the reason that round cables are both
easier to route and blow less airflow.

> It also seems to me that the electrical performance of a round cable
> is degraded.  A ribbon cable is not only easy and cheap to make it has
> quite predictable characteristics.  In a loosely routed ribbon cable
> each signal path has a known and fixed relationship to every other
> signal path.  An eighty wire cable is a forty wire cable with each
> signal wire separated by a grounded spacer.  This reduces crosstalk.
 
> When we split the cable into pairs and bundle it in shrink tubing we
> not only loose the spacing we randomize the relationship of the
> various signal paths.  Every cable is now different.

These are probably reasons underlying the switch from PATA to SATA.
-- 
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me."                        John 14:6 NIV

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409

Felix Miata  ***  http://members.ij.net/mrmazda/



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