#and a 56k modem! STUPID FAST INTERNET!

[blessed-rev-ryan]

I used to wear button up "work shirts" from bands and guitar companies when I was in high school (2002-2006), and they had the standard sized work/dress shirt pocket on the chest. My sophomore year computer maintenance teacher used me as an example of why the 3.5" floppy was made *that* size specifically: to fit in a standard, work friendly pocket for easy transport and access without being obtrusive; kinda like how USB drives had loops/rings to make them easy to stick on key chains and lanyards.

Why do 3.5 inch floppy disks seem so much more pleasant and edible than the 5.25 inch ones?

cause they are. 

5.25″ and 8″ disks were designed by IBM engineers who wouldn’t know good consumer good design if it bit them on the cock. They designed shit for Men With Short Hair And Pocket Protectors who did Important Work at like Raytheon or something. 

The 3.5″ was designed by Sony, who had been building appliances for the home since the 40s. They designed TVs and radios and the Walkman: They knew how to design a pleasant object to use in the home, and they understood all the sort of design choices that entails! 

It needs to be pleasant to look at, it needs to be sturdy so it can handle being dropped and stuffed into bags, and it needs to not look too “computery” to scare off the non-technical users. The 3.5″ floppy disk is an example of all those design goals applied to the overly-computery floppy disk, and they knocked it out of the park. The 3.5″ disk is very touchable, because it was designed to be from the beginning. They expected people to handle them, because that’s what stuff for the home is supposed to be. It’s a thing like a credit card, you can pick it up and play with it or stick it in your pocket or purse and it can just deal with that, because it is designed to be used by humans, as part of their everyday life. The older floppies are just some computer stuff designed to be used by trained technicians who knew how to handle it delicately and not damage it.