[aclug-L] Re: Linux as an alternative to a Windows desktop

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 07:16:04PM -0600, Jonathan Hall wrote:
> 
> A hard disk spins at a constant speed, so unless you store different amounts
> of data on different cylinders, the access time should be identical on the
> inner and outter tracks.

Well it depends on your definition of "access time".

Most hard disks these days store different amounts of data on the physical
tracks closer to the center spindle of the disk than on the tracks closer to
the edge.  This is because, if you stored the same amount of data each
plase, the data closer to the spindle would be much more dense than the data
farther out because less area is covered under the head for each revolution.
So they get more space on the disk by letting the outer areas be more dense.

So, in a single revolution, more data would be read from the cylinders
towards the outer edge of the disk than from the cylinders towards the inner
edge.

If you were reading more than one sector, and especially more than one
center-cylinder of data, it could well be faster to read it from the outer
edge.

Having said all that, I have never noticed an appreciable difference in
recent years.

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