Wireless Is The Successor Of Floppy

I think a WireLess? technology (WiFi, BlueTooth or thing like that) will be the successor of Floppy, as a common and easy way to share small files.

I disagree, UsbKeychainDrive is the successor. Unless you want to compromise and admit the two will work together?

Short-range wireless like BlueTooth has the disadvantage that both devices have to be physically near each other; if they're not, you have to use a third, mobile device as an intermediary. That's the neat thing about the floppy disk: it's small enough to carry around conveniently and cheap enough to give to someone else to copy/use later without expecting them to return it. A UsbKeychainDrive fulfils the first function, but not yet the second.

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a motorcycle carrying reels of magnetic tape.

Obsolete. How much data is on a magnetic tape? My Archos holds 20 GB, and doubles as a MP3 player. It fits in my shirt pocket. If I want to move a lot of data, I put it on the Archos, stick it in my pocket, ride my bike or fly on an airplane (remember to take it out before I go through security!), and take it off on the other side. Disk is so much better than tape. My iBook has wireless, but its 20 GB disk is fairly full already, so I couldn't use it to transport a 10 GB file. But my Archos has only a few GB of MP3s on it.

I don't know man, you can get 160 gb cartridges (uncompressed), and you cut fit a whole lot of 'em in a backpack. As long as magnetic storage is prominent, tape storage will have a nice advantage: stacking (how close can you get two platters before you can't fit anything between them?)

Wireless is cool. And files of only a few meg are handled easily that way. But it is the disk that blows away the floppy.

When will I buy a 1TB disk for $100? Maybe before the end of 2006. Certainly before the end of 2008.

[[December 9, 2007 update: An external 1 TB hard drive (with UniversalSerialBus 2.0 and/or FireWire connectivity) will run you about $320-$360 at many electronics chain stores.

Also, your generic, run of the mill UsbKeychainDrive can be obtained in 1-8 GB capacities for $10-$15 per GB.

For completeness, the prices of other media (per unit) are:

4.7 GB 4x DVD+RW: $1.00 - $1.50
700 MB 24x CD-RW: $1.00 - $1.20
4.7 GB 16x DVD-R: 50-60 cents
1.44 MB 3.5 inch floppy disk: 50 cents and I'm personally amazed you can still buy them!
700 MB 52x CD-R: 30 cents]]

So, the modern equivalent is "Never underestimate the bandwidth of someone carrying a disk in her purse." --RalphJohnson

The Internet Is The Successor Of Floppy

It is really the InternetIsTheSuccessorOfFloppy?
- wireless is just a medium to use it
- the handheld is a convenient endpoint

HandHeld

It has lots of memory for small files, and I can vpn or ssh to servers for large ones. I have triband gprs via bluetooth so have access from most urban locations anywhere in the world where I would need files. I have wifi when at home, work and coffee shops. Though I can copy files directly with bluetooth I usually just email small files to myself with a password if needed send from a desktop at home and open it on the road with the pda or other computer at work. I can also copy to the handheld with a usb cable. Plus the pda does lots of other useful things I'm using WikiOnPda and even ProgrammingOnHandHelds. A usb dongle would be redundant and take up more pocket space for me.

DownloadingFiles?

Most files I need are opensource or shareware I can just download from sourceforge or from the author directly.

ExchangingFiles?

To one
- Email
- PeerToPeer
To many
- Email
- FileRepository?
- FtpServer?
- PersonalWebSite?

NOTE: This entire page is a snapshot of history. Ancient history, no less. As of September '14 Micro Center is offering a 1TB USB3 external drive for $60 and a 128GB USB thumb for $45. SneakerNet is still very much alive.

See: FloppyDiskZombieTechnology

CategoryTechnology