Over the years, people have tried to transfer information from one computer to another in a dizzying number of ways. Here's a look at some of the best, along with others that time forgot.
The ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge is a circuit board containing a read-only memory (ROM) chip and a connector encased in a rigid shell. These cartridges could be used for games or programs.
Fairchild invented the ROM software cartridge for use with its Fairchild Channel F video game system in 1976.
Soon, home computers like the Atari 800 (1979) and the TI-99/4 (1979) had adopted the ROM cartridge, using it for simple software loading and distribution. Lotus even made a cartridge-based version of Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PCjr (1984).
ROM cartridges were fast and easy to use, but they were also relatively expensive--a drawback that sealed their doom.
Photos: Benj Edwards/IBM/Steven Stengel
The great floppy experiments
Many companies tried their hand at alternative floppy formats in the 1980s. One such 'floppy' (top center) wasn't a floppy at all: The ZX Microdrive cartridge (sometimes called a 'stringy floppy') contained an endless loop of magnetic tape, similar to an eight-track cassette.
Other experiments include Apple's FileWare (right), included with the first Apple Lisa; the 3in Compact Floppy (bottom left); and the rare 2in LT-1 floppy (top left), used only in 1989's Zenith Minisport laptop.
Other efforts appeared in niche products, but none dominated like the 5.25in and 3.5in floppy formats.
Photos: Benj Edwards/Jamie Percival
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