Some reflections on Early Computer DARA
Some reflection, on Binary System and early computer environment is worth mentioning. I started with Live Linux CDs, that is after having being fully fed up with Microsoft Windows. I had to run 42 Floppies to get Windows 95 running on an IBM Computer with 512MB RAM and 4 MB Video RAM. I still have it in Ceylon but not in working order.
When we were building our house, I used to give the Mason Bass,the old metal gadgets for our indoor steps’ alignment in 90 degrees, as a form of concrete reinforcement. One of them was Commodore 64 Computer.
I would have give even our first computer for similar reinforcement of concrete but my son did not agree.
That is why it is still surviving and unlike the desktops of today, they were heavy and metal framed. The motherboard was huge unlike a motherboard of a NUC with an integrated Graphic Card. They consumed lot of electricity and needed lot of ventilation fans to keep them cool.
Installation Floppy Disks
Coming back to installation floppies, the most common 3.5-inch floppy disk can hold only 1.44 MB of data, while the earlier 5.25-inch disks commonly held 360 KB or 1.2 MB. These, along with 8-inch disks (initially 80 KB), were the standards, respectively, the 1990s, 1980s, and 1970s, before being replaced by higher capacity media like CDs and USB drives.
Installation Floppy for Windows System were;
Windows 3.0/3.1:
6–11 disks (3.5" or 5.25")
Windows 95:
13 Distribution Media Format (DMF) disks
or 26–28 standard 3.5" disks.
Windows 98:
39 DMF disks.
Windows NT 3.1:
22 disks
Data
Computing technology is based on data, its storage and data access when necessary and performing useful functions using a st of data. All these need to be addressed briefly here.
Data storage in computing is the retention of digital information using technology like magnetic, optical or Solid State Media to record binary data (0s and 1s). It acts as the long term memory for computers, storing files, applications and operating systems, allowing for future retrieval.
The key types of storage media include HDD, SSD and USB. Primary storage (e.g., RAM) is fast, volatile and used for active tasks, while secondary storage (e.g., SSDs, HDDs) is slower, non volatile and used for long term retention in drives and the cloud. The ability to retain data even when the device is powered off, which is a defining feature of storage devices.
Binary Data
All data is stored in a binary format, composed of bits and bytes, which allows computers to interpret information efficiently.
SSD
Offer high speed, reliable and non volatile storage, often using flash memory, suitable for fast boot times and application loading.
HDD
Use magnetic storage to store large amounts of data cheaply, often found in traditional computers and servers.
USB and Memory Cards
Portable storage solutions ideal for transferring small to medium amounts of data
Optical Storage
CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs are still used, often for long term archiving.
Cloud Storage
Data stored on remote servers accessed via the internet, often relying on data centers and managed by cloud providers
RAM
Random Access Memory
ROM
Read-Only Memory
RAM and ROM are essential computer storage types. RAM is volatile, fast, temporary memory for active applications, erasing on shutdown of the computer. ROM is non volatile, permanent storage for firmware, retaining data without power.
Think of RAM as a desk for working, and ROM as a bookshelf.
What is important is all the work is done only in RAM memory and it is the single most important factor. More RAM the computer has more workload the computer can handle. RAM is volatile (loses data when power is off) while ROM is non volatile (retains data).
RAM stores data for active applications and immediate CPU access. ROM stores crucial boot up instructions (BIOS) and system code.
RAM is significantly faster than ROM.
Data can be read from and written to RAM quickly. ROM is primarily read only or rewritten infrequently and slowly.
Storage Capacity
Typical modern devices have larger ROM (128GB+) for storage and smaller RAM (8GB-16GB+) for processing.
I hated floppy disk with limited data capacity.
My work started with CD and transitioned to DVD. I used to get a set of DVDs with Linux Journal, I subscribed while I was employed but stopped subscribing after retirement due to high price. I would not have written this book if not for reading those journals on a regular basis. Still later, there were journals published by individual distributions. Ubuntu was one of them.
CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) are optical storage devices that use laser technology to read and write digital data, such as audio, video and software. While CDs generally store about 700MB of data (mainly for audio/data), DVDs hold much more, typically 4.7GB or more, making them better for high quality video and larger files.
Note:
It is hard to find a DVD to record some music if not computer software.
CD
Developed for audio,it holds approximately 80 minutes of music or 700MB of data.
DVD
A higher-capacity format designed for movies and large data storage, offering around 4.7GB to 17GB.
Both use a laser to read tiny bumps (pits) on the disc surface, but DVD pits are smaller and closer together, allowing higher density.
Most DVD players can play CDs but CD players cannot read DVDs.
Both come in read only (ROM), recordable (CD-R/DVD-R) and rewritable (CD-RW/DVD-RW) formats.
CD
Music albums, software installation, data backups.
DVD
Movies, high capacity data storage, large software applications.
While largely replaced by streaming and USB drives, they remain useful for physical media collections and secure, offline backups.
