On Mon, 16 Jul 2018, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
The problem with 3.5" floppies for me was the declining quality of the
media as manufacturers raced toward the bottom pricing point.
IIRC that initially, a box of 10 3.5" DSHD floppies was about $50--at
least that's what I paid for a box of Fujis back then. None from that
original box have survived. Initially, 3.5" DSED cost about the same.
On the other hand, I still have some of my 8" floppies from the 1970s
that are quite readable today.
In addition to the race to the bottom declining quality, the reliability
may also have been slightly affected by
change in linear density (physical length of track),
48tpi V 135tpi,
reduced write current (with 300 Oersted V 600 V 750)
Or maybe it's the need for fingerprint oils on the media! 3.5" keeps
fingers away more than 5.25 or 8". On the Lisa "Twiggy" diskettes, they
made special provision to get more thumb prints.
If it were only still in the public consciousness, I can imagine CSI
dialog, "They cleaned up the crime scene, but I know one place where we
can get a thumbprint of the computer operator!"
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred ci...@xenosoft.com
