It's the end of an era
Tuesday, 30 January 2007, 16:45 GMT
Assalaamu 'aleykum.
The time has come to bid farewell to one of the PC's more stalwart friends - the floppy disk.
Computing superstore PC World said it will no longer sell the storage devices, affectionately known as floppies, once existing stock runs out.
New storage systems, coupled with a need to store more than the 1.44 megabytes of data held by a standard floppy, have led to its demise.
Only a tiny percentage of PCs currently sold still have floppy disk drives.
"The floppy disk looks increasingly quaint and simply isn't able to compete," said Bryan Magrath, commercial director of PC World.
Iconic status
It is not the first time the death-knell for the floppy has been sounded. The first nail in the coffin came in 1998, when the iMac was revealed without a floppy disk drive.
Then in 2003, Dell banished disk drives from its higher spec machines.
FLOPPY FACTS
The original floppy disk held 100KB of data
The standard disk held 1.44 megabytes of data - equivalent to a three-minute song
In South Africa, floppy disks are commonly known as stiffies
Best-selling 12 inch Blue Monday was sold in a sleeve designed to look like a floppy disk
In 1998, an estimated 2 billion floppy disks were sold, according to the Recording Media Industries Association of Japan.
Since then global demand has fallen by around two-thirds to an estimated 700 million by 2006.
Only 2% of PCs and laptops currently sold by PC World still have built-in floppy disk drives and by the summer it will phase even these out.
It is with mixed feelings that the computer store has decided call time on the floppy.
"The sound of a computer's floppy disk drive will be as closely associated with 20th Century computing as the sound of a computer dialling into the internet," said Mr Magrath.
But with computer users increasingly using the internet or USB memory sticks - some of which store 2,000 times the capacity of the floppy disk - to transfer data, it is becoming redundant.
It is a far cry from its halcyon days in the 1980s and 1990s, when floppies provided essential back-up as well as playing a crucial role in transferring data and distributing software.
Shrinking disk
The first floppy disk was introduced in 1971 by IBM and heralded as a revolutionary device.
The brainchild of a group of Californian engineers led by Alan Shugart, it replaced old-fashioned punch-cards.
An eight-inch plastic disk coated with magnetic iron oxide, the nickname "floppy" came from its flexibility.
In 1976 the disk shrank to five-and-a-quarter inches - developed again by Alan Shugart, this time for Wang Laboratories.
By 1981, Sony shrank it some more - this time to three-and-a-half inches - the standard used to this day.
By the early 1990s, the growing complexity of software meant that many programs were distributed on sets of floppies. But the end of the decade saw software distribution swap to CD-ROM.
Vista icon
Alternative backup formats, new storage such as the CD-RW and the arrival of mass internet access, consigned the floppy disk to the dusty corner of peoples' desks and, eventually, the bin.
For those in the industry, there is little to mourn in the loss of floppy disks.
"You can get so much more information on other forms of storage. Technology moves on," said Bryan Glick, editor of Computing.co.uk.
But, he said, its demise, could prove problematic for those who have stored precious data on disk.
"There will be shops where they can get the data transferred but it they still have the original data they would be advised to invest in a portable hard drive or put it online," he said.
Interestingly, software giant Microsoft seems to be keeping the flame alight for the floppy.
Its newly-released operating system Vista still pays homage to it by continuing to use a floppy disk as the icon for saving a document in Microsoft Word 2007.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6314251.stm
Look at the bright side. Office Depot will be having a big sale on floppy disks. I better go buy a few cases to store alongside my punch cards. They may come in handy some day.
Oddly most PC's are now sold without Floppy drives. However, External USB floppy drives are big sellers.
I really used to hate floppy disks, they always used to mess up on assignment deadline day.
I can imagine the day when I tell my grandchildren, "Bete, this is was what your grandpa used when he was your age. Its called a "floppy-disk"".
I know what you mean bro, it's always something along the lines of this disk isn't formatted or something.format_quote Originally Posted by DaNgErOuS MiNdS
LOL.......thats hilarious.....format_quote Originally Posted by Al Madani
I can imagine the day when I tell my grandchildren, "Bete, this is was what your grandpa used when he was your age. Its called a "floppy-disk"".
floppy disk was easier for me....but when it came to saving coursework.....dam the problem begun...lost me wrk/or either disc is not working.....
other then that USB surely is convenient or sending it thru email...either ways suit moi....
salamualikum.
OMG i still hate floppy disks why? because everytime the sliver part used to mash up grr
Ma'assalama
Yh floppy disks are of the past now..............USB keys are the best........no problems most of the time
yeap it can hold enough materials....
Last edited by Helena; 01-30-2007 at 09:10 PM.
salamualikum.format_quote Originally Posted by Dhul-Fiqhar
Yh floppy disks are of the past now..............USB keys are the best........no problems most of the time
so true or even better MP3 players they have more MG bytes.
Ma'assalama
LOL NICE ARTICLE
But they are sot of way too old and they hold hardly anything
yeah I remember I couldn't save too many documents especially with pics because memory would fill up. Only problem memory sticks is you forget to take em out of the slots, i lost about 2 already and left my other one in the computer a few times but luckily it's still been there.
salamualikum.format_quote Originally Posted by DaNgErOuS MiNdS
lucky you grr :mad:, i have lost 3 && still haven't found them grr this one is me 4th one now, even though got 3MP3 Players i think there better because have more MG Bytes.
Ma'assalama
Yh thats one problem with USB keys or MP3 Players.....they can be easily mislaid......Thank Allah (swt), I'v still got mine......almost lost it 3 times
yeh i think we bought too many floppy disks in the past , that i dunno what to do with them now...
woah u guys lost ur usb many times....
ya Allah...am soo careful with mine....
LOL Yeah...Guess I Won't Miss Floppies That Much Due To That...The Silver Tops Alwayz Used To Mash Up...The Plastic Top Ones Never Used To Mess Up...Only The Silver Ones...format_quote Originally Posted by Kittygyal
laying:
Good Riddance Floppy Disks...
Brothers and sisters of Islam and Humanity as a whole. The janazah for floppy disks will take place tomorrow.
Refreshments will be served and a USB device sale will be on.
3mb they used to hold.crappy things..
..i think they gonna stop building the floppy disk drives too. because if they stop making floppy disks than they gonna stop floopy drives..
lol..thats funny..Brothers and sisters of Islam and Humanity as a whole. The janazah for floppy disks will take place tomorrow.
Refreshments will be served and a USB device sale will be on.
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