The 3 1/2" floppy disk format was the last mass-produced format,
replacing 5 1/4" floppies by the mid-1990s. It was more durable
than previous floppy formats since the packaging was rigid
plastic with a sliding metal shutter. It was eventually made
obsolete by CDs and flash drives. Storage on the cheap: Floppy
Disks Magnetic hard disks transformed data storage, but were
initially large and expensive. That was fine for mainframes, but
personal computers needed something else. And the alternative
already existed: the floppy disk. In the 1970s and 1980s, floppy
disks were the primary storage device for word processors and
personal computers, and became the standard way to distribute
software. Word processing manufacturers like Wang were anxious
for disks smaller than 8 inches. The design that became the
popular 5¼ inch disk was inspired by the size of a cocktail
napkin. Because the drive could fit in a PC, it revolutionized
personal data storage.View Artifact Detail The Floppy Disk: from
Mainframe to PC How to p