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The Mystery of the Mega-Selling Floppy Disk

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-keep-mine-in-a-metal-toolbox dept.

osullish writes "People have been proclaiming the death of the floppy for years, yet millions are bought around the world. Who is buying them?"

15 of 558 comments (clear)

  1. I know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cowboy Neil buys them all and archives inane Slashdot comments, like this one.

    1. Re:I know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Cowboy Neil buys them all and archives inane Slashdot comments, like this one.

      20 stories a day.
      400 posts per story.
      99% are inane.
      Average post size? 850 characters (thanks to gnaa c&p trolls)
      ---
      6.4 megabytes per day
      1.4 megabytes per disk
      ---
      4.5 disks per day
      365 days in a year
      ---
      1642 disks per year
      100 disks for $25 = .25 per disk
      ---
      ~$411 per year on backups

      Max write speed: 1000 kilobits / second (7.7 megabytes per minute)
      Time to fill storage:
      314 minutes + 1 minute to toss each disk in an unsorted box (hey, they're using low paid interns of course) ~ 2000 minutes
      ---
      33 hours
      $8.00 an hour
      ---
      $264 per year
      Grand Total: $675.00, or about 3.375 hours with a decent, geeky prostitute

      Seems economical.

  2. Some hardware needs them by piraat · · Score: 5, Informative

    I guess people who use them for their synths? It's why friends of mine still have 'em

    1. Re:Some hardware needs them by drolli · · Score: 5, Informative

      in the lab:

      oscilloscopes, network analysers, pulse generators etc.

    2. Re:Some hardware needs them by Shadow_139 · · Score: 5, Informative

      We have >500,000$ CNC equipment your need to load your design via Floppy into a Client system that is then connected via an fecking ISA Card!!!!!
      These systems are less then 5 years old as well !!!!

    3. Re:Some hardware needs them by SethJohnson · · Score: 5, Funny

      You put that thing on the network, soldier, and if my boys fail to contain Skynet, your >$500,000 CNC machine becomes a Skynet factory for building T-1000's. That's why we keep it on floppies.

      Seth

      --
      $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
    4. Re:Some hardware needs them by batquux · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What about something like this?
      http://www.memorysuppliers.com/smartdisk-flashpath-smartmedia.html?CAWELAID=327820619

      Stick a SD card into a floppy shaped device that your drive can read like it's a real floppy. The drive can still read floppies, and there's no evidence for the warranty people.

  3. Floppies by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know we buy them at my lab-they are necessary for controlling the software of our scintillation counter. That thing (no joke) is running DOS 2.0 under the hood! I'm sure there's lots of industrial equipment in small/noncompetitive markets that has never felt pressured to update. It's the same reason why we have so much $500,000 equipment running unbelievably crappy software.

    --
    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
    1. Re:Floppies by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually there are some good reasons to use DOS for something like that.
      Modern OSs are great and have all sorts of functionality that a lot of devices just don't need. They also have a lot of code and services which can cause you issues.
      DOS is great for any device where you need a realtime single tasking OS.
      You can do all you development on a PC and use PC debugging tools that you are used to using.
      You see lots of CNC machines and such that use DOS for that reason.
      Or look at it this way. Does the device you use work? Does it do what you need it to do?
      If so then the software isn't crappy. Nothing sucks more than you replace a piece of software that works but isn't pretty with pretty bug ridden software.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    2. Re:Floppies by gnieboer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...crappy software.

      Would you really rather have that $500,000 piece of equipment running DOS 2.0 move to Windows Vista?

      When was the last time your DOS 2.0 machine needed a security patch, or rebooted itself randomly, to for that matter did anything unexpected?
      Simple... yes
      Outdated... yes
      Crappy... not so much.

  4. Re:Not so legacy hardware... by couchslug · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Oddly, many machines that _should_ boot off CD when selected in BIOS don't want to cooperate with (properly burned at slowest speed/good media, yadda yadda) CD/DVD booting.

    I keep a Smart Boot Manager

    http://btmgr.sourceforge.net/about.html

    floppy for those, and they'll often boot from CD/DVD when selected in the Smart Boot Manager (which can also be loaded to hard disk) menu.

    Why? Beats the shit out of me, but it has worked on many machines over the years.

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  5. I use them every day! by karcirate · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have AOL and Windows 3.1 disks all over my desk, always ready for use as a coaster under my coffee.

    Can't remember the last time I bought one, though. But if anyone needs a coaster, I am happy to sell you some.

  6. OK, I admit it. by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's me. I've been buying those millions of floppy disks. No. I don't know why. I just like them. You got a problem with that?

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  7. Re:I have a lot on 3.5" by opus_magnum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd convert them while hardware was still working if I were you.

  8. Airplanes by michelcolman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Most airplanes (A320, 737,...) still use a floppy drive to update the Flight Management System database (waypoints, routes,...). These updates are done twice a month. The data fits on about ten floppies, I think, it's just text and numbers. Some newer types use CD-Rom drives, but technology moves slowly in the airline world. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, especially if it costs lots of money for certification just because it happens to be for an airplane.