History of Memory Storage Devices

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

Danger Phoenix

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I am doing my 3rd Year Project (dissertation) on The History of Memory Storage Devices, and was wondering what people consider to be the most significant breakthrough.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could look through the following list I have found online, and post which you think is the most important and a short reason why:

http://cs-exhibitions.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=187


On a related topic, when a lot of people are asking about the most significant breakthrough, they assume it is the hard disk because they have one in their computer - does anyone know of an article/website etc which has some facts and figures on how little people know on the history of computers etc?
 
maybe get a don to make a poll?

from my pov its either flash memory or the new terabyte HD (due to the fact it records data 'standing' rather then 'laying down' on the disk's platters
 
I'd say DRAM due to its longevity and influence on other memory types.

I couldn't give you specific examples mind, but by my rough knowledge of how RAM works today it seems like Mr Dennard was on to a good thing.
 
CD/DVD etc tbh, huge amounts of memory that can be taken around in a pocket. Gets my vote as a break through. Other than that, as said, DRAM.
 
What subject do you do? It seems a bit of an odd thing to do a dissertation on for a computer science degree, unless this is only background research for it. And it seems overly technical for something like a History degree.
 
Psyk said:
What subject do you do? It seems a bit of an odd thing to do a dissertation on for a computer science degree, unless this is only background research for it. And it seems overly technical for something like a History degree.
Click to expand...

I do Computer Science, and this is a research based project...
 
For me it has to be the humble hard drive, it is still functioning basically unchanged from when it was first invented, capacities have increased, as have speeds but the underlying technology remains much the same. That is if you are talking about for the computer age.

If not it is a toss-up between paper and printing (printing wouldn't be as much use without paper), still in use centuries after their introduction. The very fact that we haven't come up with anything better but simply refined the technology says to me that it is the biggest and most important breakthrough in data storage thus far.
 
From a personal opinion I would say the biggest breakthrough in storage devices was the floppy disk right? 1.44mb was big back then, and even now, in 2007, they're only beginning to be officially phased out.
 
Magnetic tape. It revolutionised storage and allowed (in its smaller forms) removable storage and transmission from one place to another. Also music cassettes!
 
I would say that flash memory would be the most significant - huge amounts of storage for a small price, and there's lots of different types being used in many different types of personal electronic devices; phones, mp3/mp4 players, cameras.
 
The most significant memory breakthough for me was when I paid £450 for a 40 meg hard drive for my Atari ST. It was in a box the size of a video recorder and the monitor sat on it. I had every major serious program on it and the productivity made itself pay for it in no time. eg I was able to do all the posters and adverts for Trentham Gardens.
 
Danger Phoenix said:
I do Computer Science, and this is a research based project...
Click to expand...
It seems a bit odd to research into the history of storage devices though. I would expect something a bit more, well, useful. I'm assuming there's more to it than that and this is just some sort of preliminary research.
 
I just got a new 4Gb USB Stick/Pen/Key/etc. it seems pretty good, and I really like the design.

If I am talking about the present time I will go for USB Key because it is solid state, a technology that I am excited about. I find the USB Key very useful as it really allows me flexibility in where I can view data; coupling a 4Gb storage size (for around £35) with the FAT32 file system brings it into a lot of use as I can use it in both Ubuntu Linux and Windows. I think the falling prices have helped it become very important, and I can say that school life would be a lot more difficult without USB Keys.

Out of all of history I would probably have to say the first methods are the most important as without these the others could not have come into existance, but I don't really know if this is the right sort of reason.

Angus Higgins
 
Most definetly the invention of the HDD by IBM. Has been a primary method of non-volitle memory for computers for decades and still going strong.

BUrnsy
 
floppy or music tape.

Floppy was the first that aloud people to move data around easily.

And music tape well spawned personal music.
 
Psyk said:
It seems a bit odd to research into the history of storage devices though. I would expect something a bit more, well, useful. I'm assuming there's more to it than that and this is just some sort of preliminary research.
Click to expand...

I am basically researching all the memory storage devices from cavepaintings to the latest breakthrough... looking at the great minds behind them, how they work and how they have affected social, economical and environmental factors.



Cheers to everyone for replying to this post :)
 
Kind of a 'device' - I feel Storage Area Networks are the biggest memory related breakthrough in my opinion.

I can take one of those storage devices mentioned, pool thousands of them together and then run all sorts of software one level up.
 
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