There are a number of attributes that determine the quality and usefulness of a hard
disk interface. One can theoretically evaluate a hard disk interface by looking at how
well it "scores" in these various attributes, and comparing it to alternative
interfaces. In the real world, of course, we are limited in our choices to what the
industry uses as a standard; it's not like one can easily design a new interface. Still,
it's useful to understand these general interface factors, and in particular, how they
trade off against each other--as with most areas of life, you "can't have
everything". 
In this section I begin by looking at compatibility issues related to the system bus,
and then cover the very important matter of interface performance, and a related issue,
command overhead. Then I examine issues of device support and expandability. Last, but
definitely not least, is the essential matter of cost.
Next: System
Bus Interface
