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Developments in data storage
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8" Floppy
IBM started its development of an inexpensive system geared towards loading microcode into the System/370 mainframes. As a result, the 8-inch floppy emerged. A floppy disk, a portable storage device made of magnetic film encased in plastic, made it easier and faster to store data. -
5.25" Floppy
Allan Shugart developed a the 5.25-inch floppy disk in 1976. Shugart developed a smaller floppy disk, because the 8-inch floppy was too large for standard desktop computers. The 5.25-inch floppy disk had a storage capacity of 110 kilobytes. The 5.25-inch floppy disks were a cheaper and faster alternative to its predecessor. -
CD
During the 1960s, James T. Russel thought of using light to record and replay music. As a result, he invented the optical digital television recording and playback television in 1970; however, nobody took to his invention. In 1975, Philips representatives visited Russel at his lab. They paid Russel millions for him to develop the compact disc (CD). In 1980, Russel completed the project and presented it to Sony. -
3.5" Floppy
The 3.5-inch floppy disk had significant advantages over its predecessors. It had a rigid metal cover that made it harder to damage the magnetic film inside. -
CD Rom
The CD-ROM, also known as the Compact Disk Read-Only Memory, used the same physical format as the audio compact disks to store digital data. The CD-ROM encodes tiny pits of digital data into the lower surface of the plastic disc, which allowed for larger amounts of data to be stored. -
DVD
DVD became the next generation of digital disc storage. DVD, a bigger and faster alternative to the compact disc, serves to store multimedia data. -
CD-RW
The Compact Disc Rewritable disc, a rewritable version of the CD-ROM, allows users to record digital data over previous data. -
Multimedia Card
The Multimedia Card (MMC) uses a flash memory card standard to house digital data. It was introduced by Siemen's and SanDisk in 1997. -
Microdrive
A USB Flash Drive uses a NAND-type flash memory to store digital data. A USB Flash Drive plugs into the USP interface on standard computers. -
Blue Ray (PDF)
Blu-Ray is the next generation of optical disc format used to store high definition video (HD) and high density storage. Blu-Ray received its name for the blue laser that allows it to store more data than a standard DVD. Its competitor is HD-DVD. -
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage enables individuals and businesses to protect data using backup, recover from a disaster, and archive unused files using sofware and datacenters. As storage hardware and internet bandwidth continue to develop, so will cloud capabilities.
