Joseph
I agree with you that networking is hurting IOM. I just got an ADSL line installed in my home, and for $65/month, I get unlimited access, 2.2MB/Sec access, and I can talk on the phone at the same time. The last time I worked in an office environment that didn't have a network was 92.
Let me make a few points however. By your account, you would then argue that there is no need for removable storage at all. This I must disagree with. I was thinking about this very thing last night during my run when I realized that the reason I hadn't used a floppy in ages is because it's basically useless. To transfer files, if I can E-mail them to a client, then to E-Mail is more CONVENIENT than PKZIPing across a bunch of floppy disks. But if I had a ZIP drive however, it would be a different story. When backing up files, I would back them-up on a separate computer but if I want to have those files with me at all times, I can't just access the computer that the file is on from anywhere, but on a ZIP disk I can. What if the building that the computer which has my files on goes up in smoke, well if I have my important STUFF on a zip disk with me in my briefcase then voila.
As for network, well in an office, you could argue that there is no need for removable storage but to transfer from home to work, not everyone has an ADSL connection like myself and I still think it is a little ways away before it is a common thing. So then, to transfer an 40MB database file(which I have to do), I'm not going to download it and I'm not going to copy it to floppy but a ZIP however.
I think that as networks have proliferated, then this has become a more CONVENIENT medium to transfer files than floppy, but the reason for this is that the floppy has become LESS CONVENIENT COMPARATIVELY. The introduction of ZIP has made transferring files via REMOVABLE STORAGE more CONVENIENT COMPARATIVELY again. The Bear on the Motley FOOL argues that the ZIP is a luxury or convenience, but human beings are creatures of convenience and CONVENIENCE becomes NECESSITY.
IMO, I think that there will always be a need for removable storage and the 1.44 has got to go so I bet that the ZIP is the replacement. It will not be used as much as the floppy, as was eluded to by Rocky. Software distribution for the big software houses will be via CD-ROM, but for a consultant like myself developing applications, I don't have a CD-Writer on my computer and a ZIP would be the perfect medium to distribute the applications that I build to the client's users. Transfers within an office can be done via networks, but not always, and back-ups can be done on the network server as well as on removable storage.
Jambo
Long IOM and INTEL |
