Re: tlug-digest V1 #48

[jwt@example.com (Jim Tittsler)]

In article <m0szOfh-0004NGC@example.com>,
turnbull@example.com (Stephen J. Turnbull) wrote:
> MO == "magneto-optical" mass storage media.  Also called floptical, I
> think (or is that something different? you rarely hear that term any
> more).

Something different.  Flopticals (tm) were 21 MB and 42 MB floppy disks
that used an optical servo track to increase track density.  Invented
and patented by Insite, most of the drives were made by Iomega.  The
drives could accept either Floptical media or 1.44 MB floppy disks. The
format never caught on, and has been surplanted by Iomega's ZIP drives
which can record 25 MB or 100 MB on high density media developed by
Fuji Film (but which are *not* backward compatible with 1.44 MB floppies).

> size of a CD-ROM.  The more common (and standardized) version gives
> 128 or 230MB on a "double-thick" 3.5" floppy-sized medium.

And beware of old drives, since this "standard" took a long time to
develop.  There were several competing formats in the market before
everyone was beaten into line.

Jim