Flash Drive Vs. Diskette
Originally invented by IBM in 1969, the floppy disk was one of the mainstays of the computer industry for more than 30 years. Today, many of the purposes that were once served by floppy disks are now served by flash drives, which hold a great deal of data and cost little. By comparing the once-great floppy with today's storage media, it is possible to see how far the computer industry has come.
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Storage Capacity
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Although higher-capacity floppy disk standards were experimented with as the format was nearing the end of its useful life, the only floppy diskette still produced, the 3 1/2" high density disk, holds a maximum of 1.44MB. The most popular flash drives hold 16GB; more data than 11,000 floppy disks could hold. However, extremely large flash drives are also available, holding up to 256GB. Even the most advanced floppy disk formats never approached this capacity.
Speed
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Data can be written to a floppy disk at about 70KB per second. At this rate, it would take about 20.5 seconds to fill the disk to its full 1.44MB capacity. The fastest flash drives, meanwhile, write data as quickly as 18MB per second, over 250 times faster than a floppy disk.
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Price
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16GB flash drives currently occupy the "sweet spot" between price and capacity, costing about $30 to $40. Floppy disks are actually quite expensive for the storage space provided, however, because few companies still manufacture them. A pack of 10 floppy disks costs approximately $5 to $10. To connect to the computer, flash drives utilize something that is built into almost all new computers--a USB port. Virtually no new computers include floppy drives, however. To use a floppy disk, a floppy drive must be purchased for around $20.
Availability
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Floppy disks are still available in many computer, electronics, and office supply stores. The supply tends to be extremely limited, however. Flash drives can be purchased nearly anywhere; even most supermarkets tend to have a few in stock.
Durability
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If used carefully, a floppy disk can last many years. However, floppy disks are vulnerable to many factors that flash drives are not. They can be erased if they are stored too close to magnets, such as those found in stereo speakers. If they are stored under high humidity, mold can grow on them. These factors do not effect flash drives, which can be written on as many as one million times.
Other Uses
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Most of today's computers can boot from a flash drive if no operating system is installed on the computer, or if the operating system needs to be repaired. However, some older computers cannot. For these computers, floppy disks can still be an important tool. This is the primary reason why it is still possible to purchase blank floppy disks today.
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References
- Photo Credit comedy_nose: Flickr.com
