1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Goodbye the floppy!

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Ab$olut, 30 Jan 2007.

  1. Ab$olut

    Ab$olut What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    22 Dec 2004
    Posts:
    590
    Likes Received:
    1
  2. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    Tis a sad day for a faithful format tbh. The real problem is that they're simply not practical in the broadband age. You can almost download 1.44MB faster than you can transfer it to a floppy...
     
  3. Springs

    Springs Boing boing

    Joined:
    29 Aug 2004
    Posts:
    2,068
    Likes Received:
    2
    geez.. havent used a floppy in ages, dont even have any drives or disks.... would rather use a usb or cd/rw or even the internet..
     
  4. Andersen

    Andersen I'm fine. I'M FINE! *banshee howl*

    Joined:
    25 Nov 2002
    Posts:
    1,282
    Likes Received:
    484
    I like that. Seriously.

    Floppy icon is so deeply associated with "save" as possible. An icon has become an icon (pun intentional).
     
  5. Omnituens

    Omnituens What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    5 Apr 2006
    Posts:
    954
    Likes Received:
    11
    i would still have a floppy drive in my machine because when everything goes belly up, you have something to fall back on.
     
  6. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    But when have you killed all your CD/DVD drives at the same time? What could you really do with a floppy as-is?
     
  7. specofdust

    specofdust Banned

    Joined:
    26 Feb 2005
    Posts:
    9,571
    Likes Received:
    168
    I hate floppy drives. But I do use them. I use them to upgrade BIOS'es nice and easily, I use them to install drivers that have to be installed on floppies, and I use them to fill up my bin.

    I hope we see companies take USB sticks or bootable CD's to the point at which floppies are at now, i.e. totaly easy to use for the nitty gritty tasks that generally required floppy. As for me, I'll keep using floppy for those arduous tasks untill floppy no longer exists or has support.
     
  8. Ab$olut

    Ab$olut What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    22 Dec 2004
    Posts:
    590
    Likes Received:
    1
    I think this will be the direction things will go.
     
  9. crazybob

    crazybob Voice of Reason

    Joined:
    21 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    I'd actually like to see the end of optical media altogether, but otherwise I'm with you. I'd love to see a standardized flash-based media that you could count on every computer having. CDs and DVDs require a great deal more care in handling than the trusty old floppy, but the floppy is too small.

    USB flash drives are pretty much at this point now, but since movies and software are still being distributed on optical disks we plainly aren't all the way yet.

    As for the floppy, it's been three years since I've owned a computer with a floppy drive. And as it turns out I need to get my hands on one now or I'll never get Zone66 running.
     
  10. Firehed

    Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match.

    Joined:
    15 Feb 2004
    Posts:
    12,574
    Likes Received:
    16
    What do you mean "almost"? Even 56k gave floppy speeds a run for their money.

    Good riddance. I've hated them since... I think sixth grade or so, when I had to run home from school three times in an afternoon because the damn things kept getting corrupted for whatever reason.

    Mind you, I still have a USB floppy drive around somewhere (actually, my dad has it right now for whatever reason), but the only thing I've used it for that I can think of is SATA drivers on old or finnickey motherboards. Come to think of it, I really could use it again for that reason, but you'd think that if the total hack that is OSx86 can see the hard drive (as can Vista, several Linuxes, and anything else I've cared to try), XP certainly should. Gah... I wish osx86 worked better, but Ubuntu won out. I never use that machine anyways so I don't really care.

    What timing... just heard something about a floppy disk in whatever it is I'm listening to right now (something from RAtM). Heh.

    Anyways, long live thumb drives. They've got that same plug it in and add storage of floppies that CD-Rs never had, and are certainly technically superior in every way imaginable. Maybe I'll use that write protect hole in the corner to put one on my keychain just to make some sort of retro statement. I'm sure it'll go great next to the 8MB SIMM :) Just need an old 286 and I'll be all set.
     
  11. sui_winbolo

    sui_winbolo Giraffe_City

    Joined:
    25 Sep 2004
    Posts:
    1,544
    Likes Received:
    29
    It was a love hate relationship with them, all my floppy disks went corrupt like second time I formated them. I maybe have two good disks. And one drive laying around somewhere. What I love about them is the mechanics of the drive. From putting the disk in hearing & feeling that *click* and you know it's good. To the sound it makes when it tries to read or write. But usually fails. Speaking of this, I might even put one in my next build, just for kicks.

    Also it might be nice to have around in case I want to load my Color Classic or Mac SE with programs.
     
  12. Jipa

    Jipa Avoiding the "I guess.." since 2004

    Joined:
    5 Feb 2004
    Posts:
    6,367
    Likes Received:
    127
    The problem I've faced with using the floppies is that you can't really ever say if a drive decides to work and if a floppy is corrupted/bothers to work. They were actually almost usable when I had to update bioses and such at work, as I knew for sure the drives and floppies were ok.

    Just a while ago a FDD-drive would've become in need when I needed to install a XP to my new rig. Didn't have one because I dumped all my 6 drives earlier this year because I simply didin't know which ones work and which don't and didn't bother to test :worried:

    I really hope they would have became totally useless already years ago. Worst case possible is the current - You simply need them sometimes.
     
  13. mrbungle

    mrbungle Undercooked chicken giver

    Joined:
    20 Sep 2004
    Posts:
    5,307
    Likes Received:
    165
    I still need one for vga flashing :(
     
  14. ConKbot of Doom

    ConKbot of Doom Minimodder

    Joined:
    2 Jul 2003
    Posts:
    2,160
    Likes Received:
    6
    and those good ol F8 drivers in windows
     

Share This Page