The history of computer data storage

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The Selectron tube• Capacity of 256 to 4096 bits (32 to 512 bytes).• Selectron was 10 inches long and 3 inches

wide• Originally developed in 1946, the memory

storage device proved expensive and suffered from production problems, so it never became a success

Punch cards• Early computers often used punch cards for

input both of programs and data. • Punch cards were in common use until the

mid-1970s.

Punched tape• Same as with punch cards, punched tape was

originally pioneered by the textile industry for use with mechanized looms.

• Each row on the tape represented one character

Magnetic drum memory• Invented all the way back in 1932 (in Austria),

it was widely used in the 1950s and 60s as the main working memory of computers.

• In the mid-1950s, magnetic drum memory had a capacity of around 10 kB.

The Laserdisc• The first commercially available laserdisc

system was available on the market late in 1978 . and were 11.81 inches (30 cm) in diameter. The discs could have up to 60 minutes of audio/video on each side

• The basic technology behind laserdiscs was invented all the way back in 1958.