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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240510-floppy-disks-why-some-people-are-still-in-love-with-this-obsolete-computer-storage-technology>
'
The last floppy disk was made over a decade ago and doesn't even have enough
capacity to store a modern smart phone picture, so why do some people still
love using them?
When an idea for a new piece of music begins swirling in Espen Kraft's mind, he
turns to one of his many boxes of floppy disks. Flipping open the lid, the
musician and YouTuber from Norway stares down at rows of colourful plastic
squares inside. His fingers browse across them, as fast as lightning.
"Bass sound from Moog" reads one label. Just what Kraft was looking for. He
plucks the disk out and slams it into his synthesizer. As the machine embraces
it, there are clunky yet reassuring noises. This part, Kraft says, is where the
magic happens.
The sample is almost ready to play but not quite – it's the anticipation as it
loads that sparks a certain nostalgia, what Kraft calls, "a nice, warm, cosy
place". The idea is flowing now. He presses a key. His ears fill with sound.
If you remember a time when using floppy disks didn't seem weird, you're
probably at least 30 years old. Floppy disks or diskettes emerged around 1970
and, for a good three decades or so, they were the main way many people stored
and backed up their computer data. All the software and programmes they bought
came loaded onto clusters of these disks. They are a technology from a
different era of computing, but for various reasons floppy disks have an
enduring appeal for some which mean they are from dead.'
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
