Floppy Disk Drives
Floppy Disk Drives are electromechanical devices that read and write data to removable, flexible magnetic disks, known as floppy disks. They served as a primary means of portable data storage and software distribution for personal computers and larger systems for several decades, offering a…
Key facts
- First appeared
- 1967
- Category
- technology
- Problem solved
- The core problem solved by floppy disk drives was the need for a convenient, portable, and relatively inexpensive method for storing, transferring, and backing up digital data, as well as distributing software between computer systems. Prior to floppy disks, data transfer relied heavily on bulky magnetic tape reels or slow, limited punched cards, or required direct network connections which were not universally available or practical.
- Platforms
- Commodore PET/64/Amiga, DEC PDP-8/11 minicomputers, Various industrial control systems, Atari ST, Apple II, IBM Mainframes, Macintosh, IBM PC and compatibles
Related technologies
Notable users
- IBM (internal use, then products)
- Commodore International
- Lotus Development Corporation
- Microsoft (for OS and software distribution)
- Borland International
- Apple Computer
- Hewlett-Packard