| Storing data has come a long, long way in a very | | | | got smaller, going from the 8 inch to the standard 5 1 |
| short time. It has been less than fifteen years since | | | | 4 inch disk down to three and a half inches, but the |
| we were using the big floppy disks that held less | | | | basic technology remained the same. |
| than 2 MB of data. Then came the smaller disks, then | | | | Over this time period, most of the advances |
| zip disks, then CDs and now we have made it to the | | | | revolved around changing software rather than the |
| USB memory stick, all of which were big jumps | | | | hardware. The most common way of manipulating |
| forward in convenience and storage. | | | | data was with zip files which allowed people to use |
| Actually, originally data was stored on punch cards, | | | | algorithms to compress the data down and store |
| which are literally exactly what they sound like, paper | | | | more on a disk. Zip files are still in use, although we |
| cards that had holes punched in them which were | | | | mostly use them for sending things via email rather |
| read mechanically and then transferred to the | | | | than storing data on a disk. |
| computer. By comparison, floppy disks were a huge a | | | | The first real big change in data storage technology |
| step forward. | | | | came with the switch to CDs, which we still use. CDs |
| Floppy disks themselves were a huge step forward. | | | | use optical storage, where the data is stored on the |
| They consisted of a disk that stored information by | | | | disk by making pits on the surface of the CD which |
| way of moving around magnetic particle that were | | | | represent the ones and zeros that make up digital |
| embedded in the disk, which allowed you to store a | | | | information. |
| comparatively large amount of information in a | | | | What this does is allow a whole lot of data to be |
| relatively small space. This disk was then stored inside | | | | stored in a very compact package. On top of that, |
| the case that was not disk shaped at all, causing | | | | CDs are very tough, resistant to scratching, |
| many people to wonder why they were even called | | | | breakage and data degrading. This is the same |
| floppy disks. | | | | technology used in DVDs, and it is a robust |
| The floppy disk actually lasted a long, long time in | | | | technology, which is why it has become popular. But |
| computer years, with more than two decades of | | | | the USB memory stick is threatening to become the |
| consistent use in the industry. The size of the disks | | | | new go to technology for storing data. |