CS 121 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Software Distribution, Write Protection, Data Center
28 Jul 2020
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Document Summary
The precursor of the hard disk: the floppy disk. Floppy disks are a close call to the museum of antiquities in the pc world. They were the star of software distribution from the birth of the pc until the mid-1990s, when cd-roms took their place. In fact, in the old pc era the data center par excellence was the floppy disk (the hard disk was not yet used). Although most pcs today are equipped with a floppy disk drive, its use is far from common, as its storage capacity and speed are inappropriate for today"s needs. However, the medium is still useful for tasks such as moving small files between computers, storing small files, and installing small software such as hardware drivers. The clear disadvantage of floppy disks over other storage media is not only their low capacity, but also their low performance.
