And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
5 1/2 Inch Floppy! How long since you've seen one?
Those are 8" floppies. I used to sell those with the PDP-11 computers made by my best employer ever - Heath Co (Heathkit soon ruined by Zenith). That was cutting edge, along with a (Gasp!) 10 MEGABYTE HDD that cost more than the computer. I still have several iterations of our proprietary HDOS and MS-DOS sets on floppy, like 16 disks? Have not looked in years. Good times.
The last time I saw one was in 1998. The vet clinic I worked for used them for daily backup. Took about 2-3 per day. Switched to tape backup right before I left in 99.
That looks like the drive to an ibm system 34. 8 inch floppy. Back when modems ruled the world, more word processors than what you could shake a stick at. Was a much simpler world then in some respects.
The Honeywell system at my college used 8" floppies, but that system was replaced the following summer. The replacement system used 5.25" disks. Both used them for maintenance applications.
That's an 1.2MB 8″ floppy disk going into an IBM 6360 external floppy drive. The first floppy disks, invented and made by IBM, had a disk diameter of 8 inches (203.2 mm).
It's nice to see a lot of old farts - er, I mean "experienced" folks here. Last time I used 8" floppies was 1989. I personally have some brand new and used 5 1/4" floppies, a buttload of used 3 1/2"ers and quite a few used Zip's.
Pretty sure that's an 8 inch floppy.
ReplyDeleteWe had a PLATO machine in high school that used them. I did Pascal on it.
I agree with Steve. Looks like an 8" floppy. Used to start our computer system with one each morning.
ReplyDeleteI think that's an 8 inch floppy, my uncle still has some. Wasn't it a 5-1/4 floppy which was replaced by the 3-1/2?
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
Those are 8" floppies. I used to sell those with the PDP-11 computers made by my best employer ever - Heath Co (Heathkit soon ruined by Zenith). That was cutting edge, along with a (Gasp!) 10 MEGABYTE HDD that cost more than the computer. I still have several iterations of our proprietary HDOS and MS-DOS sets on floppy, like 16 disks? Have not looked in years. Good times.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I saw one was in 1998. The vet clinic I worked for used them for daily backup. Took about 2-3 per day. Switched to tape backup right before I left in 99.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of disks, I recently discovered an unopened box (still shrink wrapped) of 3M 3.5 HD disks. Ten disks.
ReplyDeleteI'll send them to anyone who wants them.
That looks like the drive to an ibm system 34. 8 inch floppy. Back when modems ruled the world, more word processors than what you could shake a stick at. Was a much simpler world then in some respects.
ReplyDeleteit was punchcards when I got into IT. I tossed my 10.5" and 3.5" floppies when I move lar year.
ReplyDeleteIn the 80s we had a Hewlett Packard random vibration controller that used 8" floppies like that. Back when HP made test equipment.
ReplyDeleteThe Honeywell system at my college used 8" floppies, but that system was replaced the following summer. The replacement system used 5.25" disks. Both used them for maintenance applications.
ReplyDeleteYeah....that's an 8" floppy. Used them back in 1990 to store exam protocols on for the GE .5 Max MRI system I ran.
ReplyDeleteThat's an 1.2MB 8″ floppy disk going into an IBM 6360 external floppy drive.
ReplyDeleteThe first floppy disks, invented and made by IBM, had a disk diameter of 8 inches (203.2 mm).
Had one for the old TRS-80.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see a lot of old farts - er, I mean "experienced" folks here. Last time I used 8" floppies was 1989. I personally have some brand new and used 5 1/4" floppies, a buttload of used 3 1/2"ers and quite a few used Zip's.
ReplyDeleteI keep a pack of 5 1/4 floppies in my desk at work to annoy the younger generation.
ReplyDeleteCleaning out the backroom at home and found a whole disk holder of 3 1/2 minidisks. Full of 8 bit trash and games.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. That’s an 8” floppy.
ReplyDelete40 years or so ago, at least.
ReplyDeleteAnd a whole 1MB of storage space!
DeleteBetter than the cassette tapes that had to set to some unknown volume to work.
ReplyDelete