What 200MB of 'removable storage' looked like in 1970

What 200MB of 'removable storage' looked like in 1970

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...skPack.agr.jpg

Came across this on Digg, big nostalgia moment :)

Isn't this @ Bletchley? Looks familiar.

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Originally Posted by 0iD

Isn't this @ Bletchley? Looks familiar.

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Sure looks like it, possibly could be. I'll check tonight as I've got a fair few images of the 'dishes' in their racks when at the bletchley park on my camera at home and I'll upload a few for you to compare.

Think that's bad? You ought to have seen some of the big (physically, not in capacity), old drum drives. ;)

And find out what they used to cost. :D

I want alloys that look like that!

I wonder what 1TB would look like back then !

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Originally Posted by Behemoth

I wonder what 1TB would look like back then !

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A row of big cabinets holding, if my maths hasn't deserted me, 5000 of those disc packs. In other words, the contents of a damn large room .... or a small warehouse. :D

Not to mention the small power station needed to run them.

Though you have to ask, was there actually 1TB of data in existance at that point, to need 5000 of those 200mb drives?

That is stupidly large! Any idea of its weight? :laugh:

Damn I'm glad I was born into an era where computers are actually good :P.

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Originally Posted by matty-hodgson

... I'm glad I was born into an era where computers are actually good :P.

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You do realise that your kids will look at 1TB hard drives from our era and say exactly the same thing, don't you? ;)

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Originally Posted by dave87

Though you have to ask, was there actually 1TB of data in existence at that point, to need 5000 of those 200mb drives?

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Oh, I'm sure there was. Bear in mind that it was companies like banks and insurance companies, holding both account and transaction data on millions of customers, that were at the forefront of commercial computing. It was also computers that allowed the centralisation of companies like banks, which permitted the moving away from the ages-old "personal" touch from banks to the "soulless" call-centre approach we have now, so it['s far from a wholly good thing, in my view. But that's getting a bit OT.

Data storage when Saracen were a lad
http://static.open.salon.com/files/c...1262394048.jpg

:)

That's actually an early RAID array.

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Originally Posted by snootyjim

That's actually an early RAID array.

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shouldn't that be RAIC?

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Clay

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Originally Posted by 0iD

Data storage when Saracen were a lad
http://static.open.salon.com/files/c...1262394048.jpg

:)

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By 'eck am I glad we no longer have charcoal and slate tablets. Great thing, the invention of the abacus, 'cos I was running out of sufficient fingers and toes.

And, quite seriously, my early schooldays included using a slide-rule, because calculators didn't exist. And you kids fink you just couldn't live without a mobile phone. :D

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

shouldn't that be RAIC?

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Clay

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Thinking of a suitable word beginning with D was killing me :p.

We'll go with RAIC :)

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Originally Posted by Saracen

By 'eck am I glad we no longer have charcoal and slate tablets. Great thing, the invention of the abacus, 'cos I was running out of sufficient fingers and toes.

And, quite seriously, my early schooldays included using a slide-rule, because calculators didn't exist. And you kids fink you just couldn't live without a mobile phone. :D

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I remember the first calculators from when I were a kid, mahoosive things. As for a slide rule, mine still gets regular daily use ;);)

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Originally Posted by 0iD

..... As for a slide rule, mine still gets regular daily use ;);)

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Yeah, but what for? ;)

for 0ID and his fetish heres 1 of the pics I have :)

http://godump.gameon.co.uk/view.php?...55DSCF1678.JPG

Lee, why are they sat on tumble driers?

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Originally Posted by matty-hodgson

Lee, why are they sat on tumble driers?

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:laugh:

Those are the drums the disks go into :)

I bet they were noisey as hell when they were running at full tilt.

I remember when I was tinkering around with some old SCSI hard drives I was given and 6 of them in full chat when fully spun up at 10,000 rpm was loud enough !!

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Originally Posted by snootyjim

Thinking of a suitable word beginning with D was killing me :p.

We'll go with RAIC :)

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Redundant Array of Inexpensive Dung?

I bet no-one believes me whan I mention 8" 256Kb floppies.

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Originally Posted by Brucelles

I bet no-one believes me whan I mention 8" 256Kb floppies.

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Yes - just - on a PDP 11/45 iirc.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

And, quite seriously, my early schooldays included using a slide-rule, because calculators didn't exist.

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I had to Wiki that up :laugh: In my defence I did get to play with an abacus. Not that I ever got far with it either, I was basically expected to work out most calculations in my head or on a sheet of paper. Mostly in my head.

In case anyone is wondering what a ruler is. Honestly until today I had never heard of one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule