Source: Own Illustration
Welcome to the second part of our journey through IT history! This time, we’ll delve into the world of storage media and trace their evolution from 1.44 megabytes (MB) in a rectangular plastic case to the seemingly unlimited capacities of the cloud.
The Floppy Disk: 1.44 MB to Go
A floppy disk rarely came alone. As a gregarious creature that blended in easily, it was usually kept in larger groups due to its limited storage capacity. Individual disks, however, were happy to leave their enclosure on the desk and disappear among file folders and sticky notes.
Inside was a flexible, magnetically coated plastic disk. During reading and writing, it spun inside the drive while a read/write head read or wrote the data organized into tracks and sectors. A slide switch on the casing served as a write-protect mechanism.
IBM developed the first 8-inch floppy disk in the late 1960s and initially launched it in 1971 as a read-only medium for software updates. Its 80 kibibytes (KiB) were equivalent to about 1,000 punch cards. With the rise of microcomputers, the format shrank: the 5.25-inch floppy disk was followed in 1981 by the more durable 3.5-inch floppy disk. With a capacity of 1.44 MB, it became the standard in the PC world, but soon could no longer keep pace with growing data volumes. Microsoft Office Professional 4.3, released in 1994, required 32 floppy disks for the German-language edition alone. Starting in the late 1990s, CDs and later USB flash drives took over their roles – and the little disk disappeared from drives and desk drawers.
CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW: Hundreds of Floppy Disks on a Single Disc
A CD was more delicate than a raw egg. Even a single scratch could cause the drive to whir helplessly. Then came the familiar rescue rituals: holding it up to the light, breathing on it, polishing it with a sleeve – usually with limited success.
Unlike a floppy disk, a CD stores data optically. The data is stored on a spiral-shaped track that a laser scans. The drive reconstructs the information based on differences in light reflection. With a capacity of about 650 MB, a CD could hold the equivalent of roughly 450 floppy disks.
However, not all CDs were created equal. The industrially manufactured CD-ROM was primarily used for distributing software, games, and encyclopedias. “ROM” stands for “Read-Only Memory”: The data could be read but not modified. To create your own files, you needed a CD-R and a burner. The laser permanently wrote the data into a dye layer; the disc could be written to once and then read as often as desired – provided the burning process didn’t fail just before completion. The CD-RW, introduced in 1996, could be erased and rewritten, but wasn’t compatible with every older drive. Thus, CD-Rs and CD-RWs offered significantly more storage space than floppy disks, until the USB flash drive made data transfer easier.
The USB Flash Drive: Gigabytes on Your Keychain
The USB flash drive was a major step forward: smaller than a CD, more durable, and rewritable without a burning process. It fit on a keychain, in a pants pocket – and just as easily in a drawer, in the freezer compartment among groceries, or in the washing machine as part of work clothes.
Inside the USB flash drive is flash memory that retains data even without power. A controller manages the memory cells and acts as an interface to the computer. The USB interface then handles data transfer and power supply. Without a spinning disk, read/write head, or laser, files are stored, deleted, and rewritten electronically.
Around the year 2000, the first commercial models, such as “ThumbDrive” and “DiskOnKey,” with capacities of 8, 16, or 32 MB, hit the market. What was crucial was not just the capacity, but the ease of use: plug it in, open it, copy files, and take it with you. With faster USB standards, megabytes soon became gigabytes (GB) and later terabytes (TB).
However, this little companion wasn’t indestructible. Removing it too soon, damaged file systems, worn-out memory cells, or a bent connector could put data at risk. Nevertheless, the USB flash drive has held its ground as a medium for installation, recovery, and data transfer.
Cloud Storage: Data Everywhere – Without Any Storage Media
The cloud? It’s not always accessible – but at least you can’t scratch it or accidentally wash it away. All it takes is a weak Wi-Fi connection for an urgently needed file to seem to float out of reach among the digital clouds.
In reality, cloud data is stored on physical hard drives and flash memory in data centers. The provider operates the infrastructure and offers storage space as a service. Files are uploaded via the Internet and can be accessed, shared, or edited collaboratively on various devices. Changes are often synchronized automatically.
There were already precursors in the 1980s and 1990s. Cloud storage evolved into the modern, flexibly scalable service primarily starting in the 2000s. A milestone was Amazon S3 in 2006. Today, the principle is used by private individuals as well as in businesses, research, and government.
This convenience raises new questions: Access is limited without an internet connection, and issues such as access rights, encryption, data protection, and vendor lock-in must be taken into account. Furthermore, synchronization is no substitute for a backup, since accidentally deleted files can now disappear from all devices.
The cloud hasn’t eliminated physical storage media; it has simply moved them out of our sight. Instead of carrying around stacks of floppy disks, CD cases, or USB drives, we trust that our data is waiting for us in the data center. And if access takes a little longer, there’s at least one consolation: the file isn’t stuck on a USB drive in the washing machine.
Responsible for the content of this article is Maike Lennartz.
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