I Didn't Know That!

When would you say that floppies started to be in widespread use?

My first encounters were ( if memory has not been corrupted ) on a Data General microNova early 1970's

I just learnt this for the first time

In 1967, at an IBM facility in San Jose (CA), work began on a drive that led to the world's first floppy disk and disk drive. It was introduced into the market in an 8-inch (20 cm) format in 1972.
 
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When I worked in manufacturing our ABB robots would only read Double Density disks, never seen them again, what was the difference between them and HD
 
When I worked in manufacturing our ABB robots would only read Double Density disks, never seen them again, what was the difference between them and HD

DD was 720K, double sided - I think I'm correct in suggest an HD drive would work with DD floppies (?).
 
I think it did we used to transfer programmes from the PC to robot using floppies
 
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It was the 90s but they had been around long before that, ABB are usually the orange robots you see on news clips about car plants, spraying , welding etc
 
When roughly did computers have only 512k of memory?
Must have been before Windows 3.1 so perhaps Sinclare spectrum era - I'm going to guess before Sinclare spectrum

Original spectrums were 16k or 48k. There was a spectrum 128.

512k would have been windows era. DOS could natively only access 640k.

Then you had memory extenders e.g.. EMS and EMM.386
 
16k or 48k seems so small compared to how things have evolved. The spectrum 128 meant it had 128kb of data capacity did it?
Do you know when they stopped using cassette medium as memory?
 
I had a speccy 128 with a cassette tape for loading or storing date. Used to buy PC magazines that had games programmes in them. Would spend hours typing in loads of data and code then save it to the tape. Rewind the tape, listen to it making those annoying noises for about 10-15 minutes and then seeing the message, "Data Error. Unable to load.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

My first 'proper' computer was an all-in-one Compaq which was a monitor with the PC bits inside and an attached keyboard. Hard drive was advertised as a record breaking 540mb with 4 mb RAM Internet was 54mb dial up and you could be dropped out if someone tried to call you on the phone. After I had had it for about 3 months I pressed something which gave me the specifications of the machine. Turns out it was a 270mb drive but compressed to give you 540mb I complained to Currys and they eventually paid for me to have it upgraded to a 540 HD Unknown to them the bloke who did the upgrade gave me an 850MB and threw in a few games as well. :ROFLMAO:
 
My last 2 pre-IBM computers were Amstrad: the PCW8256 and PCW9512.

The first had 256K and the second 512K.

The 8256 (it also came with 512K) was sold from 1985, the 9512 was sold 87-94.
 
The floppy bit of the floppy disk can be used to observe an eclipse. Remove the plastic case and throw it away cos you wont need that bit. Hold the floppy to the sky in the general direction of the sun and observe the eclipse.

For the sharper one's amongst you this only works when an eclipse is due to take place. :D
 
When roughly did computers have only 512k of memory?
Must have been before Windows 3.1 so perhaps Sinclare spectrum era - I'm going to guess before Sinclare spectrum


The first computer I worked on had 1024k, though 512k was more usual for that model.

IBM 360/65
 
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