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MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates

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  MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-20 02:54 -0500
    Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates JJenssen <joemajen@arcor.de> - 2026-02-20 11:27 +0100
    Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-02-22 19:26 +0000
      Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2026-02-22 12:05 -0800
        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 00:18 -0500
        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-23 10:08 +0000
      Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-22 20:38 +0000
        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-23 01:07 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-23 03:43 +0000
            Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 00:31 -0500
              Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-23 18:29 +0000
                Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-23 22:33 +0000
                  Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-02-23 23:17 +0000
                    Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-24 00:46 +0000
                      Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 22:59 -0500
                        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-24 06:57 +0000
                          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-24 12:35 +0000
                      Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-24 06:58 +0000
                        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-24 20:37 +0000
                Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 21:08 -0500
                  Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-24 07:09 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 00:24 -0500
            Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-23 11:33 +0000
              Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-23 16:33 +0000
              Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 19:55 -0500
            Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-23 16:33 +0000
              Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-23 18:48 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-23 11:22 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-02-23 23:19 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2026-02-24 03:14 +0000
            Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-24 07:25 +0000
        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-02-25 05:33 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-25 11:35 +0000
            Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2026-02-25 18:13 +0000
              Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-02-25 20:00 +0000
                Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-02-26 11:29 +0000
      Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-22 23:46 -0500
        Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-02-23 18:50 +0000
          Re: MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-02-23 21:25 -0500

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#82124 — MicroSoft Perfects Dense 'Eternal' Storage on Silica Glass Plates

https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html

Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.

In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
10,000 years.

The new system, called Silica, uses extremely short flashes
of laser light to inscribe bits of information into a block
of ordinary glass.

. . .

   Well, it's not "ordinary" glass ... closer to a
   high-silica Pyrex.

   Anyway, looks like they can internally etch the glass
   in many layers using a laser. Data capacity should be
   very high.

   Of course the plates CAN be physically broken ... not
   sure they'd hold up so well for 10,000 years unless
   stored in a hardened box.

   Clay tablets, albeit low-density, DO last at least
   5,000 years if conditions are fair. There's a huge
   library of Sumerian texts on such tablets and not
   all have been decoded.

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#82129

Am 20.02.26 um 08:54 schrieb c186282:
> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
> 
> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
> 
> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
> 10,000 years.
> 
> The new system, called Silica, uses extremely short flashes
> of laser light to inscribe bits of information into a block
> of ordinary glass.
> 
> . . .
> 
>    Well, it's not "ordinary" glass ... closer to a
>    high-silica Pyrex.
> 
>    Anyway, looks like they can internally etch the glass
>    in many layers using a laser. Data capacity should be
>    very high.
> 
>    Of course the plates CAN be physically broken ... not
>    sure they'd hold up so well for 10,000 years unless
>    stored in a hardened box.
> 
>    Clay tablets, albeit low-density, DO last at least
>    5,000 years if conditions are fair. There's a huge
>    library of Sumerian texts on such tablets and not
>    all have been decoded.
> 

Which group of insects then will have such an sophisticated microscope 
to read them??

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#82166

c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
> 
> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
> 
> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
> 10,000 years.

Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in 
2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a 
reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports 
have disappeared too).

And it has not been 10,000 years yet since all three of those sizes of 
"data storage media" were readily available.

The problem will *all* these claims of "this chunk of glass/quartz/etc. 
will store your data for 10,000 years" has always been: "yes, but in 7 
years the market will have shifted and no one will be making 
reader/writer machines anymore".

Having a palm-sized square of glass holding two million books (odd 
measurement there, but...) is not worth much if you can no longer find 
any working machines that will actually read any of the two million 
books off the palm-sized square of glass.

> The new system, called Silica, uses extremely short flashes
> of laser light to inscribe bits of information into a block
> of ordinary glass.

Sounds similar to those laser etched artworks in glass where small 
bubbles are created in the right pattern to make a 3d image of 
something appear inside the glass/plastic block.

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#82168

On 2/22/26 11:26, Rich wrote:
> c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
>> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
>>
>> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
>> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
>> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
>> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
>>
>> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
>> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
>> 10,000 years.
> 
> Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in
> 2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a
> reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports
> have disappeared too).

	Floppy ports = USB ports -  5.25 and 3.5 devices should be available 
and some
of the 3.5 interfaces can be transfered to 8 inch drives.
<https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=8+inch+floppy+disk+drive&_sop=12>
	Not cheap.

	bliss
> 
> And it has not been 10,000 years yet since all three of those sizes of
> "data storage media" were readily available.
> 
> The problem will *all* these claims of "this chunk of glass/quartz/etc.
> will store your data for 10,000 years" has always been: "yes, but in 7
> years the market will have shifted and no one will be making
> reader/writer machines anymore".
> 
> Having a palm-sized square of glass holding two million books (odd
> measurement there, but...) is not worth much if you can no longer find
> any working machines that will actually read any of the two million
> books off the palm-sized square of glass.
> 
>> The new system, called Silica, uses extremely short flashes
>> of laser light to inscribe bits of information into a block
>> of ordinary glass.
> 
> Sounds similar to those laser etched artworks in glass where small
> bubbles are created in the right pattern to make a 3d image of
> something appear inside the glass/plastic block.
> 

	Small drill kits. for example Dremel, were used to created 3D images
inside plastic blocks.  I don't know about the images in glass.
	This was promoted as a hobbyist pastime quite a while back.

	bliss

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#82177

On 2/22/26 15:05, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> 
> 
> On 2/22/26 11:26, Rich wrote:
>> c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
>>> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
>>>
>>> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
>>> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
>>> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
>>> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
>>>
>>> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
>>> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
>>> 10,000 years.
>>
>> Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in
>> 2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a
>> reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports
>> have disappeared too).
> 
>      Floppy ports = USB ports -  5.25 and 3.5 devices should be 
> available and some
> of the 3.5 interfaces can be transfered to 8 inch drives.
> <https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=8+inch+floppy+disk+drive&_sop=12>
>      Not cheap.

   Recently found and bought a 3.5" USB floppy unit.
   Price wasn't bad.

   However CAN'T find anything similar for 5.25" disks
   anymore. If Amazon doesn't have it ....

   And 8" disks, FORGET IT !

   I do still have one creaky motherboard with a bad
   CPU fan with the plugs for 5.25" drives (AND one
   such drive) ... but it's kinda Under The Pile of
   70 years of electronics junk. If I had to read a
   particular 5.25 then I could - but it'd be a pain
   in the ass. 99.95% of such capable boards/units
   are surely shredded up for the gold contacts by now.
   Some poor dink in India is dipping them in a pot
   of mercury ......

   Need an Apple-II with floppy units ? Got one.
   ZX-81 ? VIC-20 ? Early Sanyo 8088 IBM compat
   PC ? Radio Shack 'micro-CoCo' ? Radio Shack
   'original laptop' (code by Bill Gates) ? H-11
   LSI-11 box ? All kinds of cool stuff in The Pile  :-)

   Can't deal with it, can't part with it ... my
   poor unfortunate heirs get to deal :-)

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#82184

On 2026-02-22, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

> On 2/22/26 11:26, Rich wrote:
>> c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
>>> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
>>>
>>> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
>>> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
>>> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
>>> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
>>>
>>> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
>>> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
>>> 10,000 years.
>>
>> Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in
>> 2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a
>> reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports
>> have disappeared too).
>
> 	Floppy ports = USB ports -  5.25 and 3.5 devices should be
> available and some
> of the 3.5 interfaces can be transfered to 8 inch drives.
> <https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=8+inch+floppy+disk+drive&_sop=12>
> 	Not cheap.
>
> 	bliss
>>
>> And it has not been 10,000 years yet since all three of those sizes of
>> "data storage media" were readily available.
>>
>> The problem will *all* these claims of "this chunk of glass/quartz/etc.
>> will store your data for 10,000 years" has always been: "yes, but in 7
>> years the market will have shifted and no one will be making
>> reader/writer machines anymore".
>>
>> Having a palm-sized square of glass holding two million books (odd
>> measurement there, but...) is not worth much if you can no longer find
>> any working machines that will actually read any of the two million
>> books off the palm-sized square of glass.
>>
>>> The new system, called Silica, uses extremely short flashes
>>> of laser light to inscribe bits of information into a block
>>> of ordinary glass.
>>
>> Sounds similar to those laser etched artworks in glass where small
>> bubbles are created in the right pattern to make a 3d image of
>> something appear inside the glass/plastic block.
>>
>
> 	Small drill kits. for example Dremel, were used to created 3D images
> inside plastic blocks.  I don't know about the images in glass.
> 	This was promoted as a hobbyist pastime quite a while back.
>
> 	bliss

I've had motherboards with FDCs, but last time I tried to use a floppy
drive, not such luck with recent Linux. Never managed to track down the
issue (my posts from some years ago were probably in
comp.os.linux.hardware), I might try again sometime with another machine
that's not the main desktop. IIRC FreeDOS worked, an older linux (on
knoppix? might have been 3.*?) worked, but a more recent linux on the
installed system didn't allow writing to the floppy disk.


It's possible that there was either a hardware issue on the motherboard
or PSU that happened to be triggered by other factors once the system
with the newer kernel was in use, even though it at first looked like
some bug in the kernel.

(That machine doesn't have a stellar record, apparently "AM3-compatible"
doesn't mean exactly that for some manufacturers...)

If I shop for computers in the near future, I'll probably try hard to
retain RS-232 (besides other uses, this one's relevant for terminal
usage), FDC, IDE and PCI, although that's probably going to be more and
more difficult, and I may have to resort to other devices.

(Although, to be fair, a possible solution for the lack of compatible
RS-232 hardware flow control on linux would probably be a USB adapter
that handles that itself.)

-- 
Nuno Silva

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#82170

On 22/02/2026 19:26, Rich wrote:
> c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
>> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
>>
>> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
>> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
>> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
>> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
>>
>> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
>> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
>> 10,000 years.
> 
> Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in
> 2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a
> reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports
> have disappeared too).
> 
Plenty of 3.5" around. Not so may 5.25...

Plenty second hand tho

And it isn't hard if you *really* want to, to reproduce the mechanism


-- 
The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all 
private property.

Karl Marx

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#82172

On 2026-02-22, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> On 22/02/2026 19:26, Rich wrote:
>
>> c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
>>
>>> https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glass-square-future-storage.html
>>>
>>> Scientists at Microsoft Research in the United States have
>>> demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading
>>> information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two
>>> million books' worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.
>>>
>>> In a paper published today in Nature, the researchers say
>>> their tests suggest the data will be readable for more than
>>> 10,000 years.
>> 
>> Try obtaining a new 8", 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disk mechanism today in
>> 2026.  And, assuming you found one (new old stock maybe?) try finding a
>> reasonably recent computer to which you can attach it (floppy ports
>> have disappeared too).
>> 
> Plenty of 3.5" around. Not so may 5.25...
>
> Plenty second hand tho
>
> And it isn't hard if you *really* want to, to reproduce the mechanism

I still have a machine with a 5 1/4-inch drive and a network interface.
I also have an IMSAI with a pair of 8-inch drives, but unfortunately
its boot ROM has rotted.  Assuming I could find a listing of the ROM,
I'm back to the issue of finding appropriate hardware, i.e. something
that will burn a 2708.

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  Growth for the sake of
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  growth is the ideology
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  of the cancer cell.
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |    -- Edward Abbey

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#82174

On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:07:37 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

> I still have a machine with a 5 1/4-inch drive and a network interface.
> I also have an IMSAI with a pair of 8-inch drives, but unfortunately its
> boot ROM has rotted.  Assuming I could find a listing of the ROM, I'm
> back to the issue of finding appropriate hardware, i.e. something that
> will burn a 2708.

https://github.com/trevor-makes/avr-eeprom-programmer

I built a prgrammer for the Osborne 1. It had a 8255 for the supposed 
Centronics printer port but being CP/M you could do all sorts of strange 
things with it. Obsorne officially supported using it as a GPIB port. 

Computers were a lot more fun when you could directly mess with the 
hardware. The 4 voltage (+5, -5, +12, +26) 2708 would require a little 
more work.

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#82180

On 2/22/26 22:43, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:07:37 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> 
>> I still have a machine with a 5 1/4-inch drive and a network interface.
>> I also have an IMSAI with a pair of 8-inch drives, but unfortunately its
>> boot ROM has rotted.  Assuming I could find a listing of the ROM, I'm
>> back to the issue of finding appropriate hardware, i.e. something that
>> will burn a 2708.
> 
> https://github.com/trevor-makes/avr-eeprom-programmer
> 
> I built a prgrammer for the Osborne 1. It had a 8255 for the supposed
> Centronics printer port but being CP/M you could do all sorts of strange
> things with it. Obsorne officially supported using it as a GPIB port.

   Your Kung-Fu is better than mine ....

   Did some custom circuit boards, mostly for uController
   add-ons, but not Centronics ports and such.

   Hmm, how many even REMEMBER what a Centronics port was ?

> Computers were a lot more fun when you could directly mess with the
> hardware. The 4 voltage (+5, -5, +12, +26) 2708 would require a little
> more work.

   Um, yea, was never SURE why SO many +- voltages ...
   utter pain in the ass.

   5.1v for everything seems super-cool to me.

   LIKED Centronics ports ... with all those pins you
   could use 'em to get data to/from a lot of external
   devices. You could implement an 8-bit A/D resistor
   ladder ...

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#82190

On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:31:56 -0500, c186282 wrote:

>    Hmm, how many even REMEMBER what a Centronics port was ?

And 25 or 9 pin RS-232 connectors for that matter? You probably can find 
20-somethings that wouldn't believe laptops had CD drives. 

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#82196

On 2026-02-23, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:31:56 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>
>>    Hmm, how many even REMEMBER what a Centronics port was ?
>
> And 25 or 9 pin RS-232 connectors for that matter?

And of them, a vanishingly small percentage realized that
the proper term for a 9-pin connecter is DE-9, not DB-9.
(Hint: the second letter is the shell size.)

> You probably can find 20-somethings that wouldn't believe
> laptops had CD drives. 

Or floppies, for that matter.

I had a laptop that had interchangeable drives.  Want to read
a CD?  Plug in the CD drive.  Want to read a floppy?  Plug in
the 5 1/4-inch drive.

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  Growth for the sake of
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  growth is the ideology
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  of the cancer cell.
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |    -- Edward Abbey

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#82197

On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:33:31 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

> I had a laptop that had interchangeable drives. Want to read a CD?
> Plug in the CD drive. Want to read a floppy? Plug in the 5 1/4-inch
> drive.

Did it also have a PCMCIA slot?

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#82199

On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:17:10 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:

> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:33:31 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> 
>> I had a laptop that had interchangeable drives. Want to read a CD? Plug
>> in the CD drive. Want to read a floppy? Plug in the 5 1/4-inch drive.
> 
> Did it also have a PCMCIA slot?

My Compaq Concerto had two.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Concerto

I did have an external CD and I think an Iomega Zip 100 drive. Man 100 MB, 
that was class in a glass.

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#82206

On 2/23/26 19:46, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:17:10 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> 
>> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:33:31 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>
>>> I had a laptop that had interchangeable drives. Want to read a CD? Plug
>>> in the CD drive. Want to read a floppy? Plug in the 5 1/4-inch drive.
>>
>> Did it also have a PCMCIA slot?
> 
> My Compaq Concerto had two.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Concerto
> 
> I did have an external CD and I think an Iomega Zip 100 drive. Man 100 MB,
> that was class in a glass.

   I have one of those ... parallel port alas.

   But, at the time, 100mb WAS pretty impressive
   and the price was good. I think next-year ZIPs
   went up to like 250mb ...

   Anyway, if you need to read odd formats, look
   up local garage sales. For five or ten bucks
   you can get a C64 with tape and floppy units,
   an Apple-II, and old DOS/2K/XP compatible
   PC with 5.25 floppies ....

   I used to do odd computer jobs for a guy who'd
   scour the garage sales and bring me old Packard
   Bells and such - which I was supposed to revive
   enough to run his biz software.

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#82209

On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:59:41 -0500, c186282 wrote:

>    Anyway, if you need to read odd formats, look up local garage sales.
>    For five or ten bucks you can get a C64 with tape and floppy units,
>    an Apple-II, and old DOS/2K/XP compatible PC with 5.25 floppies ....

A few years ago I saw a PET sitting on a garbage can. Get behind me Satan 
and lead me not into temptation.

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#82222

On 24/02/2026 06:57, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:59:41 -0500, c186282 wrote:
> 
>>     Anyway, if you need to read odd formats, look up local garage sales.
>>     For five or ten bucks you can get a C64 with tape and floppy units,
>>     an Apple-II, and old DOS/2K/XP compatible PC with 5.25 floppies ....
> 
> A few years ago I saw a PET sitting on a garbage can. Get behind me Satan
> and lead me not into temptation.

I give you Adrian's Digital Basement...

https://www.youtube.com/@adriansdigitalbasement

-- 
"It is an established fact to 97% confidence limits that left wing 
conspirators see right wing conspiracies everywhere"

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#82211

On 2026-02-24, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:17:10 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:33:31 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> 
>>> I had a laptop that had interchangeable drives. Want to read a CD? Plug
>>> in the CD drive. Want to read a floppy? Plug in the 5 1/4-inch drive.
>> 
>> Did it also have a PCMCIA slot?

Yes, it did.  I had a modem that fit into that slot.
PCMCIA = People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms

> My Compaq Concerto had two.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Concerto
>
> I did have an external CD and I think an Iomega Zip 100 drive. Man 100 MB, 
> that was class in a glass.

I put a Zip drive into an AMD K6/2 box that I had.  Never got around to
actually using it, though.

Then there was the SyQuest removable hard drive.  44MB, IIRC.

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  Growth for the sake of
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  growth is the ideology
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  of the cancer cell.
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |    -- Edward Abbey

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#82232

On Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:58:29 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

> I put a Zip drive into an AMD K6/2 box that I had.  Never got around to
> actually using it, though.

I did have an internal Zip in one box. The last time I tried to use it it 
sounded like the head was trying to escape. Maybe it thought it was a 250 
MB and was looking for the missing 150 MB. 

Then there was QIC 80. I may still have one in a file box I stuffed old 
peripherals into. 

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#82203

On 2/23/26 13:29, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:31:56 -0500, c186282 wrote:
> 
>>     Hmm, how many even REMEMBER what a Centronics port was ?
> 
> And 25 or 9 pin RS-232 connectors for that matter? You probably can find
> 20-somethings that wouldn't believe laptops had CD drives.

   I *have* a laptop with a cd/dvd drive - it's what
   I used for a month+ when my Pavilion blew up. It
   now has a SATA SSD replacing the old WD Blue and
   a new battery.

   Not a bad unit ... kinda heavy. Lots of RAM. It's
   a keeper.

   Does GenX+ even know what RS-232 is ???

   As I recall, Centronics, there were cards with
   the big pin-plug connection and a variant with
   like an edge connector. Remember having one
   of those wide Epsons that used the latter. It
   was slow, but good. Put a lot of green-stripey
   paper through that.

   Anyway, a lot of old tech has gone away. Always
   wanted an S-100 bus computer. I think they made
   them all the way up to the 68020. NOW you'd have
   to go to an 'old crap' sales site. Modbus connections
   are still around, but mostly hidden in factories -
   same with the multi-drop 'RS-' variants. Think I've
   seen a few modern Z80-based mini-boards for sale
   but those are for dedicated hobbyists and you're
   not gonna find 8" floppy units to attach. It's
   getting hard to get CGA/EGA/Herc PCI cards, and
   nothing but old junk uses ISA bus. Even standard
   VGA and tube monitors that can use it are getting
   more and more rare.

   Often newer IS 'better' ... but sometimes not,
   and sometimes less versatile too.

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