Hi Michael - RE: "Does ZIP Have to Replace the Floppy..."
It doesn't have to, but to put it a different way, "Will the floppy die, anyway, due to other accomplices diminishing its job security?" - 'puter Darwinism
I believe the original design intent for the Zip was to provide a competive alternative to the SyQuest products, as the Bernoulli did not make much of an inroad. If it also took some of the floppy market, too, that would be nice, but not the prime design initiative.
Some coincidences happened along the way. CD-ROMs became the preferred choice of larger app and OS installation . The internet has proven to be a sensible method for distribution of patches and upgrades. File size has increased over the years...more people transport/use/create/and share graphic/audio/video files than, say, 3-5 years ago. Thus, a number of *other accomplices* have taken away some of the floppy's "job security".
The Zip doesn't have to replace the floppy, but it will anyway due to evolution of the 'puter species (...kind of interesting to see patterns of nature mimicked in the man-made world). I honestly have not found a need for the floppy in about two years now. Any single file I generate at work is already too large. Granted, I'm in a minority. But the number of people in my situation was much smaller even one year ago, and will be much larger a year from now.
-MrB |
