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How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

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exxos
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How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by exxos »

387711370_10229079431837984_5691210436044367769_n.jpg
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Punched cards in storage at a U.S. Federal records center in 1959. All the data visible here could fit on a single flash drive.

"Storage of IBM record cards at the Federal records center in Alexandria, Virginia, November 1959. Between 1950 and 1966 the records centers received millions of cubic feet of records, saving the federal government more than the total spent for the entire operation of the National Archives Records Service." Note: There are about 20 rows of pallets visible, each row is 15 pallets wide, pallets are stacked two high (at least). Each pallet contains 45 boxes of punched cards. Standard card boxes contained 2000 cards. Each card held up to 80 characters, for a total of about 4.3 billion characters of data in this storage facility - about the same as a 4GB flash drive.
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by rubber_jonnie »

One of the good things about miniaturisation.

I wonder how heavy all those cards were?
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by exxos »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:56 pm I wonder how heavy all those cards were?
Probably about the same as @Icky's giant panda printer :lol:
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by rubber_jonnie »

exxos wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:59 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:56 pm I wonder how heavy all those cards were?
Probably about the same as @Icky's giant panda printer :lol:
Yes, quite similar I imagine :)
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by Icky »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 11:11 pm
exxos wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:59 pm

Probably about the same as @Icky's giant panda printer :lol:
Yes, quite similar I imagine :)
Surprisingly the printer isn't as heavy as you think.

That stash of punch cards must have been a fire hazard.
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by rubber_jonnie »

Icky wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2023 10:42 am
rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 11:11 pm

Yes, quite similar I imagine :)
That stash of punch cards must have been a fire hazard.
So a bit like @exxos chair then...
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800XL and 65XE both with Ultimate1MB,VBXL/XE & PokeyMax, SIDE3, SDrive Max, 2x 1010 cassette, 2x 1050 one with Happy mod, 3x 2600 Jr, 7800 and Lynx II
Approx 20 STs, including a 520 STM, 520 STFMs, 3x Mega ST, MSTE & 2x 32 Mhz boosted STEs
Plus the rest, totalling around 50 machines including a QL, 3x BBC Model B, Electron, Spectrums, ZX81 etc...
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by BigSteve »

Fun fact: The size of a punch card was based on the size of the US dollar notes in circulation at the time. The census tabulating machines (Early IBM) needed punch cards to capture data and then be moved to a central location for counting. Using money 'transport boxes' for the millions of cards was deemed the easiest/cheapest solution - so that choice determined how much space was used in that Federal records centre!!
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by Darklord »

Unreal...! :)
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Re: How to store 4 GB of data in 1959:

Post by CiH »

Obligatory picture, delivery of an 'electronic brain'.

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