Journal #7695
Posted 12 years ago2012-03-22 11:03:08 UTC
A little about data disk sizes
I was thinking after reading how Bruce likes .FLAC and have decided to make a little journal about difference in years when it comes to movable data diskettes.
All i could get my hands on for now was an old PF HDD and a newer IBM ATA HDD, an old 5.25" floppy and a new 10GB Dittomax floppy, and an Magneto-Optical disc, which was top tech than and was made before CD RW.
As we know, every day more and more transistors/data gets squeezed into even smaller spaces. Genius error correction codes and protection is made to assure it works well, but how good is it really?
On the next 2 pictures i will show you an IBM 123.5GB HDD, on the left, that was made in 2002 and on the right i will show you an 60MB HDD that was made around 1988.
The difference in data size is enormous! But, that 60MB HDD still functions perfectly even today. While the exact same IBM HDD died a few weeks ago from getting too much bad sectors.
The older data drives are much more resistant and will last much longer. Over voltage? What is that asks the 60MB HDD.
I once overclocked my AMD K6-2 550MHz by 0.6V more than it should get in the core, no problem at all, even no heating.
Next are floppies, the one on the left is an newer Omega 10GB floppy disk, and the on the right is a 160KB 5.25" floppy:
You could take the old floppy and bend it as much as you like, even trow it as a frizzby to your friend who needs it, no problem with it falling on the ground or getting hit. But if i threw this 10GB disk any kind of way it would probably get damaged a lot. Sure it has more memory, but if i accidentally threw it, or something shakes the writing head in the drive the disk would get damaged. (PS These 10GB disks are slow as HELL)
Next is an Magneto-Optical disc. These were made before the existence of CD-RW discs. They were using the newest crystal technology to achieve a rewritable function.
They were early steps in rewritable technology when it comes to Discs. This one could be used over 100 times and it had a capacity of 650MB. I even had a reader for these things, but it died a long time ago, this is the only not used MO Disc i have left.
Also, an interesting thing, Blu Ray discs would have also been cased into such boxes as the MO Disc, but because the production costs would have been larger by a great percentage they just decided to rise the reading head that is almost touching the Blu Ray disc. One kick and the disc damages the reading head. That is one bad thing about Bly Rays, but, they have invented a protective coating for the disc, so they are more or less safer to move around and store, with out the fear of them getting damaged.
Thats all i had time to find to show you, what i was aiming with this is to tell you that if you'd lived and worked with such limits as 1.5GB of data memory, or less, you start to appreciate every spare KB of space you can get.
Computers may be very advanced today, but its still up to us and how we use it that determines their working hour.
I was thinking after reading how Bruce likes .FLAC and have decided to make a little journal about difference in years when it comes to movable data diskettes.
All i could get my hands on for now was an old PF HDD and a newer IBM ATA HDD, an old 5.25" floppy and a new 10GB Dittomax floppy, and an Magneto-Optical disc, which was top tech than and was made before CD RW.
As we know, every day more and more transistors/data gets squeezed into even smaller spaces. Genius error correction codes and protection is made to assure it works well, but how good is it really?
On the next 2 pictures i will show you an IBM 123.5GB HDD, on the left, that was made in 2002 and on the right i will show you an 60MB HDD that was made around 1988.
The older data drives are much more resistant and will last much longer. Over voltage? What is that asks the 60MB HDD.
I once overclocked my AMD K6-2 550MHz by 0.6V more than it should get in the core, no problem at all, even no heating.
Next are floppies, the one on the left is an newer Omega 10GB floppy disk, and the on the right is a 160KB 5.25" floppy:
Next is an Magneto-Optical disc. These were made before the existence of CD-RW discs. They were using the newest crystal technology to achieve a rewritable function.
Also, an interesting thing, Blu Ray discs would have also been cased into such boxes as the MO Disc, but because the production costs would have been larger by a great percentage they just decided to rise the reading head that is almost touching the Blu Ray disc. One kick and the disc damages the reading head. That is one bad thing about Bly Rays, but, they have invented a protective coating for the disc, so they are more or less safer to move around and store, with out the fear of them getting damaged.
Thats all i had time to find to show you, what i was aiming with this is to tell you that if you'd lived and worked with such limits as 1.5GB of data memory, or less, you start to appreciate every spare KB of space you can get.
Computers may be very advanced today, but its still up to us and how we use it that determines their working hour.
9 Comments
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And man, older technology stuff is build like literally a brick shithouse compared to todays stuff, but today's stuff is proportionally WAY cheaper. E.g., my dad's toshiba satelite laptop from idk probably the middle 1990s, was built like a tank and still works today, but it cost like $2k and runs windows 95 and is basically a glorified word processor.
Today, you can buy a machine for $300 that is built very flimsily, but a supercomputer compared to that, and is basically disposable. Oh the times they are a-changin'! =P
Great Article Stojkens!
And Captain T, yeah, they are slow you know, but, they are useful when it comes to a low cost MIDI station. My uncle plays at a local restaurant every day, and he uses a MIDI sampler/processor and iOmega 250 ZIP drives. He can store a lot of MIDI instruments onto those, helluva slow, ZIP drives. It is a bit slow, but once you load the instruments into the processor there is no need to do anything more, you just play and swap.
Haha, well, than, it was ALL about quality. The more quality you can provide to your customers and the market, the better reputation you gain. Almost all Sony/IBM/Samsung/etc electronic components, made in Japan/Germany/Korea are top quality.
I have an old IBM thinkpad laptop, its a brick and a half, but its made with quality. Inside its like a swiss watch, the casing metal protection is out of titanium, and the processing power in it is way more than any non-brand than could give you.
Today, stuff is cheap, but because its cheap its cheaply made. GOOD quality things are very expensive, and they do last a lot, but little companies make their things to LAST and WORK and not with a reduced working hour, like icrap and stuff like that.
One IBM Thinkpad that is kick ass costs up to 5000$, but it works and does not let you down.
Some professional TV Studio camera manufacturers give life time warranty. When it breaks, you put it in a box, write a not "This shit be broke" and send them. Next week you get the same package with a note "Fixed".
You really need to sit and think when you want to invest into something you will use.
If you have any questions, i will gladly answer em, i can even tell you more about things you find interesting (electronics). I finished Audio and Video electronics high school.
First time was a trip to Cancun i took like 600 pictures and they all magically disapeared when i got home to look at them.
Second was the exact same thing traveling to Thailand and Hong Kong. You'd think i'd have learned from the first time to back up my pictures daily to my laptop or something.. ARGH.. =:P
They both use tape tech to store data, so you cant compare it with an SD card, because an SD card is a micro chip.
Also, CF - Compact Flash - cards that are used in cameras these days are SSD's. You can use them as hard drives, because they work as IDE devices, on older computers, or newer if you want large storage space on a small place.
Also, Captain, dont buy shitty SDs from companies you never heard of, always check the speed of the card and the warranty. The bigger the warranty the bigger the chance is it will last longer.
I've heard good things about Transcend but I never had one. So far, my Kingstons, Verbatims and Delkin Devices (wtf is that? i don't know it) haven't ever failed on me.
Kingston is promising, as well as verbatim.