Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 13, 2004

A 5¼-inch floppy disk

A floppy disk is a data storage device that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible magnetic medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic wallet. The fact that the exterior aspect is neither circular nor floppy confuses some novice users. Floppy disks were ubiquitous in the 1980s and 1990s, being used on home and personal computer platforms such as the Apple II, Macintosh, Commodore 64, and IBM PC to distribute software, transfer data between computers, and create small backups. In March of 2003, Dell made the decision to make floppy drives optional on its higher-end desktop computers, a move hailed by some as the end of the floppy disk as a mainstream means of data storage and exchange. (more...)

Recently featured: Western movie – Taiwanese – Chess