Floppy disks are less reliable and less durable than hard drives. Most data files use so little disk space that you could write a novel or create a spreadsheet to analyze the government's budget without changing the percentage of used space. Floppy drives operate very slowly. In fact, they operate at just about the same speed as the PCs that were available in the mid-1980s. Spending four figures for a computer with a MegaHertz rate in three figures and then operating the computer at a single-digit MegaHertz rate seems foolish.
Floppy disks can lose track of files, especially if files are constantly added and deleted.
Floppy disks are magnetic devices and are negatively affected by magnetic fields. While most people know enough to keep magnets away from their computers and their floppy disks, they probably don't know that floppy disks give off magnetic fields. Copyright 2000 Kathy Ivens. Inc. All Rights Reserved.