Before the Internet, DVD-ROMs, and CD-ROMs, the easiest and fastest way to transfer data from one computer to another was the floppy disk. The floppy disk was a flexible, thin plastic object, measuring either 3.5 inches or 5.25 inches, which housed a magnetic disk with a maximum capacity of 1.44 MB. And that was it. You couldn't even fit one mp3 song on a floppy disk, but back then, storage needs weren't what they are today.
The Beginning of the Floppy Disk
The history of the floppy disk begins in the 1960s. IBM was the first company to develop and introduce the floppy disk in 1967, although its official release came in 1971. The first floppy disk had a diameter of 8 inches and a capacity of just 80 KB. Its major innovation was the ability to rewrite data, a significant leap forward compared to the magnetic tapes used at the time.
The floppy disk evolved rapidly. In 1976, the 5.25-inch disk appeared, quickly becoming the dominant storage medium for personal computers. This new format was smaller and more practical, with capacities ranging from 110 KB to 1.2 MB. These disks were highly successful during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as the primary medium for installing software and transferring data.
The next significant upgrade came in 1984 with the release of the 3.5-inch floppy disk by Sony. This disk had a hard plastic casing, making it more durable and reliable, while its capacity started at 720 KB and later reached 1.44 MB. The 3.5-inch floppy became the new standard and remained dominant for over a decade.
Other Types of Floppy Disks
One innovation introduced by Nintendo in the 1980s in Japan, which never saw the light of day in the West, was the Famicom Disk System, which could read exclusively Nintendo disks. Nintendo developed its own floppy disk technology, allowing Japanese gamers to go to special kiosks, copy the game they wanted onto their disk, and then play it on their Nintendo system.
Nintendo's floppy disk philosophy was similar to that of computers: a plastic casing with a magnetic disk that users could erase and write on as many times as they wanted.
Uses of the Floppy Disk
You could use the floppy disk to store games, operating systems, and personal files. It was not uncommon, especially in the early '90s, for games to come in boxes containing 4, 5, or even more floppy disks. It was a time when a new storage medium was starting to flourish, but users still had floppy disks, so companies continued releasing their products on floppy disks. Often, the result was having a whole box of disks for just one game. The same applied to operating systems. I remember once having a version of DOS 6.22 on 5 floppy disks.
Of course, in cases of multiple disks, you didn’t insert the disk to play the game, but rather to install it on your—massive at the time—1.2 GB hard drive. In some cases, you might have had boot disks—meaning a disk you inserted into your computer to start it up.
Even into the early 2000s, when I was a student, floppy disks were essential for submitting assignments to professors. It was a cheap medium, and you didn’t care if the professor never returned it. Plus, the files you needed to transfer were small enough to fit on just one disk.
The Fall and End of the Floppy Disk
Despite its popularity, the floppy disk began to lose ground with the advent of CD-ROMs in the late 1990s. CD-ROMs offered larger storage capacities (up to 700 MB) and faster data access. The arrival of USB flash drives in the early 2000s was the final push for the floppy disk’s retirement, as they provided even larger storage capacities and higher transfer speeds.
Computer manufacturers began removing floppy disk drives from new models, and in 2011, Sony announced the official discontinuation of 3.5-inch floppy disk production. This announcement effectively marked the end of the floppy disk era.
Fun Fact: Younger generations might not know this, but the icon on the save button in various programs is the image of a floppy disk.
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