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

[0iD]

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



Came across this on Digg, big nostalgia moment

Isn't this @ Bletchley? Looks familiar.

[Lee H]

Isn't this @ Bletchley? Looks familiar.

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.

[Saracen]

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.

[Bunjiweb]

I want alloys that look like that!

[Behemoth]

I wonder what 1TB would look like back then !

[Saracen]

I wonder what 1TB would look like back then !

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.

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

[dave87]

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

[matty-hodgson]

That is stupidly large! Any idea of its weight?

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

[scaryjim]

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

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

[Saracen]

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

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.

[0iD]

Data storage when Saracen were a lad

[jim]

That's actually an early RAID array.

[Funkstar]

That's actually an early RAID array.

shouldn't that be RAIC?

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Clay

[Saracen]

Data storage when Saracen were a lad

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.

[jim]

shouldn't that be RAIC?

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Clay

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

We'll go with RAIC

[0iD]

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.

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