Wireless Is The Successor Of Floppy
I think a WireLess technology (WiFi, BlueTooth or thing like that) will be the successor of Floppy, as a common and easy way to share small files.
I disagree, UsbKeychainDrive is the successor. Unless you want to compromise and admit the two will work together?
Short-range wireless like BlueTooth has the disadvantage that both devices have to be physically near each other; if they're not, you have to use a third, mobile device as an intermediary. That's the neat thing about the floppy disk: it's small enough to carry around conveniently and cheap enough to give to someone else to copy/use later without expecting them to return it. A UsbKeychainDrive fulfils the first function, but not yet the second.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a motorcycle carrying reels of magnetic tape.
Obsolete. How much data is on a magnetic tape? My Archos holds 20 GB, and doubles as a MP3 player. It fits in my shirt pocket. If I want to move a lot of data, I put it on the Archos, stick it in my pocket, ride my bike or fly on an airplane (remember to take it out before I go through security!), and take it off on the other side. Disk is so much better than tape. My iBook has wireless, but its
- GB disk is fairly full already, so I couldn't use it to transport a 10 GB file. But my Archos has
only a few GB of MP3s on it.
- I don't know man, you can get 160 gb cartridges (uncompressed), and you cut fit a whole lot of 'em in a backpack. As long as magnetic storage is prominent, tape storage will have a nice advantage: stacking (how close can you get two platters before you can't fit anything between them?)
Wireless is cool. And files of only a few meg are handled easily that way. But it is the disk that blows away the floppy.
When will I buy a 1TB disk for $100? Maybe before the end of 2006. Certainly before the end of 2008.
[[December 9, 2007 update: An external 1 TB hard drive (with UniversalSerialBus 2.0 and/or FireWire connectivity) will run you about $320-$360 at many electronics chain stores.
Also, your generic, run of the mill UsbKeychainDrive can be obtained in 1-8 GB capacities for $10-$15 per GB.
For completeness, the prices of other media (per unit) are:
- 4.7 GB 4x DVD+RW: $1.00 - $1.50
- 700 MB 24x CD-RW: $1.00 - $1.20
- 4.7 GB 16x DVD-R: 50-60 cents
- 1.44 MB 3.5 inch floppy disk: 50 cents and I'm personally amazed you can still buy them!
- 700 MB 52x CD-R: 30 cents]]
So, the modern equivalent is "Never underestimate the bandwidth of someone carrying a disk in her purse." --RalphJohnson
The Internet Is The Successor Of Floppy
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It is really the InternetIsTheSuccessorOfFloppy
- wireless is just a medium to use it
- the handheld is a convenient endpoint
- It has lots of memory for small files, and I can vpn or ssh to servers for large ones. I have triband gprs via bluetooth so have access from most urban locations anywhere in the world where I would need files. I have wifi when at home, work and coffee shops. Though I can copy files directly with bluetooth I usually just email small files to myself with a password if needed send from a desktop at home and open it on the road with the pda or other computer at work. I can also copy to the handheld with a usb cable. Plus the pda does lots of other useful things I'm using WikiOnPda and even ProgrammingOnHandHelds. A usb dongle would be redundant and take up more pocket space for me.
DownloadingFiles
- Most files I need are opensource or shareware I can just download from sourceforge or from the author directly.
ExchangingFiles
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To one
- PeerToPeer
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To many
- FileRepository
- FtpServer
- PersonalWebSite
NOTE: This entire page is a snapshot of history. Ancient history, no less. As of September '14 Micro Center is offering a 1TB USB3 external drive for $60 and a 128GB USB thumb for $45. SneakerNet is still very much alive.