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Thread ID: 39594 2003-11-11 10:07:00 New Dell PC specs. What..no floppy? oggy (1250) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
190998 2003-11-12 10:38:00 >>Heck, I've got over half a gig of Ram in my camera now.
Skite!! :D
Dolby Digital (160)
190999 2003-11-12 19:24:00 I was hoping for a defintive answer to this question,so far no luck.
If the likes of Dell leave them off,I would suggest one can manage without and it wont be long b4 they are just a memory,I would have thought.
Thomas (1820)
191000 2003-11-12 20:15:00 I read a while ago that floppies will be a thing of the past in a couple of years, but I think in this case it was Dell trying to configure a PC to come in under $2000 (which it achieved with under a dollar to spare).
I think the answer is that if you're a tinkerer or concerned about boot up problems you get a FDD. If you don't play around with your PC and are confident that you won't have boot problems, or you can boot from CD then you can do without the FDD. The storage side of it doesn't really enter into the equation.
oggy (1250)
191001 2003-11-12 21:09:00 I fully agree with your assessment oggy, especially that storage/backup just isnt the issue. Terry Porritt (14)
191002 2003-11-12 21:30:00 If you work in an office with an older computer that does not have a CD writer or provision for using a memory stick, tranferring files via floppy disk or two to work on at home is more convenient than emailing the files via dialup. tommy (2826)
191003 2003-11-12 21:53:00 if you're a real tinkerer, you have a usb stick with all the programs you need on it, or one of these:

g33kflat.skankyflat.net (ignore norah)

I do have one with all the apps I need and a bootloader that allows me to choose between them as required.. but I'm loaning it out to a mate

floppy drives are archaic technology, snail slow, unreliable and like it or not, they're going the way of the dodo one way or the other. The current trends with pc's is fast moving towards "legacy free" and HTPC applications. This means that pc's are getting smaller, faster, more multimedia orientated AND they're ditching legacy connectivity.. this means serial ports, parallel ports and floppy drives are going bye bye. Better to adapt now than be cut short.

As a case modder I find floppy drives tend to give a case an ugly look... as a system builder I find the floppy connector a horrible waste of motherboard space, space better used on SATA, and the floppy controller itself is a horrible waste of silicon that could be better used on superior technologies such as onboard apu's, improved acpi controllers, usb2, firewire, wireless and new connectivity standards.
whetu (237)
191004 2003-11-12 22:32:00 Like it or not, not everyone goes out and buys the latest bells and whistles. Old technology is going to be with us for as long as people like Graham and myself :) continue to use it. For instance I have an HP pen plotter, that uses HPGL language, and runs off the serial port with an RS232 cable.
It is old but it does the job I want of drawing printed circuit diagrams directly onto copper board, and then I can etch. I also use dos electronic programs like Autotrax, Easytrax, DraftChoice etc, as the need arises. I can scan a magazine PCB track layout with my old Canoscan FB310 which has a parallel port connection, vectorize the bit map, and then plot onto copper.

Toyota if Im going out to spend thousands on something else to do the job.

Then again I use an NEC P7 dot matrix printer to print text. The ribbons are re-inked with $4 stamp pad ink from the Stationery Warehouse, that is enough for 6 re-inks. None of this $60 cartridge nonsense :)

The toyotas wont get any more money out of me than is necessary :D
Terry Porritt (14)
191005 2003-11-12 22:34:00 Apple did away with the floppy drive when the iMac was introduced in 1998.

As usual everyone else catches up with Mac inovations eventually.
Jim B (153)
191006 2003-11-13 00:54:00 >As usual everyone else catches up with Mac inovations eventually.

Is taking something away an inovation?

Just can't understand not moving with the times,maybe your shroud will have pockets Terry.;)
Thomas (1820)
191007 2003-11-13 01:08:00 I could build up a system and not realise the floppy was dead for a year or two, well just until I needed to use the floppy for some reason. I transfer files with a USB stick mainly, or email/ftp. Whenever I have used a floppy recently it has only been for educational purposes (hardware labs at polytech, install DOS etc) or for mucking around on a laptop I've got here, installing windows 1.1 and the like... though I'm sure I could do that from USB stick if need be. -=JM=- (16)
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