The Rise and Fall of 3M's Floppy Disk (2023)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Floppy disks and their successors like Zip and SuperDisk drives prompt both nostalgia and critique, with many recalling the reliability and tangibility of older media compared to today’s cloud- and stream‑based world. Commenters challenge the notion that 3M “invented” the floppy, instead crediting IBM and Sony while noting 3M’s broader identity in adhesives, tapes, and controversial chemicals such as PFAS. The exchange widens into concerns about loss of media ownership, fragile streaming rights, creator pay, and how modern file sharing—despite ubiquitous networking—often feels less straightforward than handing someone a cheap, disposable disk.

3M’s Role in Floppy Disks

  • Several commenters argue the article ambiguously implies 3M “invented” the floppy; they stress IBM/Sony’s roles and say 3M was a major manufacturer, not originator.
  • Others counter that “3M’s floppy disk” can just mean a branded product, not invention.
  • Some recall 3M disks as high quality but relatively rare; others name Sony, Verbatim, Maxell, BASF, TDK, Nashua as more common.
  • There’s discussion of 3M spinning off its media business as Imation and the later decline in media quality across the industry.

What People Associate 3M With

  • Many associate 3M primarily with adhesives and films: Scotch tape, Post-its, Command strips, specialty tapes, sanding media, respirators, filters, automotive films, and N95 masks.
  • A few think first of industrial chemicals or cooling fluids.
  • Some criticize 3M over PFAS contamination, saying it permanently taints the brand; others partially shift blame to military use.

Nostalgia for Legacy Storage

  • Strong nostalgia around 5.25"/3.5" floppies, Zip drives, LS‑120 SuperDisk, MO drives, MiniDisc, MD Data, Floptical, SyQuest, DataPlay, and early removable hard-disk cartridges.
  • People compare capacities, quirks, and robustness (e.g., early floppies seen as “supremely reliable,” later ones cheap and fragile; BD‑R never became ubiquitous).
  • Some still keep and use old media (floppies, minidiscs, vinyl, 4K Blu‑rays).

Physical Media vs Streaming & Ownership

  • Long tangent about how streaming displaced owned collections.
  • Arguments for owning: offline use, no subscriptions or data caps, resistance to removal/censorship/remasters, codec choice, privacy, and true control over files.
  • Counterpoints: streaming is easier, devices handle cloud better than files, and many more creators now share (very modest) streaming income.
  • Disagreement over whether total payouts to artists are higher today or not; some cite CD‑era economics, others note vastly more creators and fragmented revenue.
  • Vinyl and CD sales, niche physical formats, and personal NAS collections are mentioned as resistance to “rental-only” culture.

Data Sharing and File Transfer Today

  • People miss the simplicity of handing someone a floppy or CD‑R as a cheap, disposable, offline transfer.
  • Thumb drives feel more valuable and risky (cost, malware/USB attack surface, even “USB killer” hardware).
  • Complaints that large file transfer now typically requires “the cloud” and accounts, and that cross‑platform direct sharing (Bluetooth, Nearby Share, AirDrop equivalents) is fragile, slow, or restricted.
  • Various workarounds are mentioned: ad‑hoc HTTP servers, P2P tools (e.g., magic‑wormhole, LocalSend), Telegram, microSD as one‑way “throwaway” media.

Retrocomputing and Constraints

  • Some are actively experimenting with USB floppy drives, ESP32‑based floppy projects, and floppy‑disk demoscene work.
  • Constrained environments are seen as a good teaching tool and a source of creative fun.