USAF retires floppy discs

USAF retires floppy discs (Full Version)

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Rusty1961 -> USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 2:32:55 PM)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/18/military-has-phased-out-the-use-of-floppy-disks-to/

BillBrown -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 2:36:49 PM)
I remember those 8" floppy disks.

HansBolter -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 2:53:46 PM)
Wow Bill. My memory only stretches back to the 5-1/4" floppies.

Zorch -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 3:39:20 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: BillBrown I remember those 8" floppy disks. They were REALLY floppy.

btd64 -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 3:46:52 PM)
I remember selling them....GP

geofflambert -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 4:23:53 PM)
I've got a floppy but it isn't 8". [:(]

BBfanboy -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/18/2019 5:35:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: geofflambert I've got a floppy but it isn't 8". [:(] I can relate! ... [image]local://upfiles/35791/F7FC5B77A9E84040A92B9A5429CF5C24.gif[/image]

Hanzberger -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 11:07:50 AM)
I remember these, had computer programming at tech school 83-85

Jorge_Stanbury -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 11:21:35 AM)
did they transition to laserdiscs? [:'(]

GetAssista -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 1:48:37 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury did they transition to laserdiscs? [:'(] No, obviously to a more miniaturized 5.25" variety. Efficiency for the win!

jagsdomain -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 2:44:23 PM)
So much for state of the art! Glad to know the Air Force is keeping up with the times.

rustysi -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 4:01:23 PM)
Government is always the last to upgrade anything, even when it is not cost effect to maintain legacy equipment.

geofflambert -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 4:43:09 PM)
I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class.

Zorch -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 5:01:51 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: geofflambert I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class. +1 Woe to the person who dropped their deck!

Lokasenna -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 5:02:23 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GetAssista quote: ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury did they transition to laserdiscs? [:'(] No, obviously to a more miniaturized 5.25" variety. Efficiency for the win! Technically, yes! Smaller disks (it's with a 'k' for this type) and more storage space on them, too.

rustysi -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 5:51:55 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: geofflambert I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class. Fourteen years of experience in the electronics field, and the first time I saw a keypunch was when I starting working for the government. Yup, that right, I work for the gov'ment. Over thirty years for the FAA on their computers systems. Gonna hold that against me.[:D] Edit: BTW, first place I saw an 8" floppy too. Edit edit:The Smithsonian called, and took our card reader/punch when they heard we were getting rid of it. Our worked, theirs didn't.

Reg -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/19/2019 11:28:04 PM)
Those damn 8" things and their drives were unreliable as well.... [:(] About a third of my class lost their entire semester's work to disk corruption and backup was not a top priority in those days.... [:-]

BillBrown -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 12:08:09 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: geofflambert I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class. We only had to do one small program that way, just to teach us how lucky we were to have terminals.

Chickenboy -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 12:16:37 AM)
Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability.

jagsdomain -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 1:17:08 AM)
On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking? Its basicly like having a hard copy.

spence -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 2:51:35 AM)
quote: he Smithsonian called, and took our card reader/punch when they heard we were getting rid of it. Our worked, theirs didn't. When we went to GTMO for REFTRA in 1978 we got parts from the USS Massachusetts Museum for our main gun: a 5"38 cal DP in game terms. The parts from the Massachusetts kept our gun in action all thru REFTRA. quote: I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class. Ah FORTRAN!. Loved those stacks of cards so much I took the class again just for fun.

Chris21wen -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 6:31:09 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Chickenboy Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability. Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor.

Chris21wen -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 6:36:50 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: jagsdomain On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking? Its basicly like having a hard copy. In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted.

Zorch -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 11:51:51 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Chris21wen quote: ORIGINAL: jagsdomain On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking? Its basicly like having a hard copy. In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted. But you could examine the disk contents with an editor and get the info that way, encryption being primitive or non-existent.

Zorch -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 11:56:44 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Chris21wen quote: ORIGINAL: Chickenboy Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability. Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor. And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged.

jagsdomain -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/20/2019 7:10:30 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Zorch quote: ORIGINAL: Chris21wen quote: ORIGINAL: Chickenboy Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability. Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor. And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged. For got about that little tab. I remember the first time I tryed to save something then founs out you had to format the disk.

Chris21wen -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/21/2019 7:08:27 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Zorch quote: ORIGINAL: Chris21wen quote: ORIGINAL: jagsdomain On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking? Its basicly like having a hard copy. In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted. But you could examine the disk contents with an editor and get the info that way, encryption being primitive or non-existent. Only if you stoll the disc.

Chris21wen -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/21/2019 7:10:22 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: jagsdomain quote: ORIGINAL: Zorch quote: ORIGINAL: Chris21wen quote: ORIGINAL: Chickenboy Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability. Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor. And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged. For got about that little tab. I remember the first time I tryed to save something then founs out you had to format the disk. All that stuff. You forget.

Hanzberger -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/21/2019 10:32:38 AM)
I think I have some key punch cards laying around somewhere. We use to type notes to each other in class.

Zorch -> RE: USAF retires floppy discs (10/21/2019 11:58:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Hanzberger I think I have some key punch cards laying around somewhere. We use to type notes to each other in class. I would type, "Help! I'm trapped inside the keypunch machine" and leave the card in the machine.

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