Why is a Floppy Disc not?

Answer 1

Going back, IBM made the first flexible disk subsystem, with 8 inch disks enclosed in a sleeve and they worked in the same manner as a hard disk, single sided and hard sectored. I think the first ones held a whopping 128K on a single side and were not double sided. The disk inside the sleeve was simply a thin disk of mylar coated with magnetic oxide similar to audio tape and if removed from the sleeve, was indeed quite flexible. Disks today are just as thin, but coated on both sides and smaller physically and have a higher density magnetic oxide and can hold MUCH more data. By the way. the disk was flexible to conform to the head, which had a curved surface, by use of a pressure pad on the other side of the disk, much like audio tape, because the technology to make heads with very small gaps (as are made today) were not possible when IBM made this subsystem. Eventually head construction technology improved so as to be able to use the other side of the disk, using the heads to press against each other and the disk no longer had to be flexible to conform to the curved head surface. Now, the disk is flexible because it is cheap.

However, they are still basically the same as the original ones made by IBM and work in exactly the same as the originals.

Answer 2

A Floppy Disk [or diskette to give it its full name] is made from a thin "Floppy" plastic disc, surrounded, at first, in cardboard [for 8" and 5 1/4" diskettes], then in plastic [for 3" and 3 1/2" diskettes]. The plastic ones are called "Stiffies", rather than "Floppies" in countries like South Africa, but not here for obvious reasons.

I used to work in a place that employed multi-cultural staff, and recall a new member of staff [a very pretty South African girl], on needing a diskette to save some data onto, approaching her manager saying "Have you got a Stiffy for me?"
This is honestly true.

Answer 3

The original floppy discs were encased in a flimsy cardboard case which was 8 inches square. They then reduced in size to 5 and a quarter inches but were still floppy. They further reduced to 3 and a half inches but were now encased in hard plastic but retained the floppy name.

Answer 4

when floppies were first out they were floppy ! (5 1/2), but people bent them, so they invented a floppy disk inside a more rigid case the 3 1/4, although not floppy outside it is in :)

Answer 5

A floppy disk is floppy but I haven't seen a 5.25 inch square sized floppy disk since I was a little kid. They were repalced by the diskettes a long time ago, and those are still around although most people use USB stick / pen drives or CDs now.

Answer 6

Floppy Disc describes what the data is stored on.

Answer 7

They are only floppy in the hands of a man!

Answer 8

floppy? the answer is, it is. It's a floppy disc in a hard casing.

Answer 9

the started off floppy as in they were covered in a sort of cardboard then they started to cover them in plastic for better protection. the memory part inside the plastic is still floppy though

Answer 10

It doesn't appear floppy because it's enclosed in a rigid case but break one open and you will see why it's called 'floppy'! The plastic of the disk itself is about as thin as a plastic bag!