What (who) is floppy disk drives - definition
![read-write head]] from a 3½‑inch unit](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Citizen W1D-9364 - read write head-4005.jpg?width=200 "read-write head]] from a 3½‑inch unit")
![CD]], [[tape drive]], and [[CompactFlash]])](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Different types of storage components.jpg?width=200 "CD]], [[tape drive]], and [[CompactFlash]])")
![The [[write protection]] tab (unlabeled) in upper left.}}](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Floppy disk internal diagram.svg?width=200 "The [[write protection]] tab (unlabeled) in upper left.}}")
![floppy hardware emulator]], same size as a 3½-inch drive, provides a USB interface to the user.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Floppy hardware emulator.jpg?width=200 "floppy hardware emulator]], same size as a 3½-inch drive, provides a USB interface to the user.")
![[[Imation]] USB floppy drive, model 01946: an external drive that accepts high-density disks](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Imation USB FDD 20060623.jpg?width=200 "[[Imation]] USB floppy drive, model 01946: an external drive that accepts high-density disks")
![converts single-sided 5¼-inch diskettes to double-sided]].](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Squareholepunch2.png?width=200 "converts single-sided 5¼-inch diskettes to double-sided]].")
.jpg?width=200 "Visualization of magnetic information on floppy disk (image recorded with CMOS-MagView)")
Wikipedia
A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy or a diskette) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a fabric that removes dust particles from the spinning disk. Floppy disks store digital data which can be read and written when the disk is inserted into a floppy disk drive (FDD) connected to or inside a computer or other device.
The first floppy disks, invented and made by IBM, had a disk diameter of 8 inches (203.2 mm). Subsequently, the 5¼-inch and then the 3½-inch became a ubiquitous form of data storage and transfer into the first years of the 21st century. 3½-inch floppy disks can still be used with an external USB floppy disk drive. USB drives for 5¼-inch, 8-inch, and other-size floppy disks are rare to non-existent. Some individuals and organizations continue to use older equipment to read or transfer data from floppy disks.
Floppy disks were so common in late 20th-century culture that many electronic and software programs continue to use save icons that look like floppy disks well into the 21st century, as a form of skeuomorphic design. While floppy disk drives still have some limited uses, especially with legacy industrial computer equipment, they have been superseded by data storage methods with much greater data storage capacity and data transfer speed, such as USB flash drives, memory cards, optical discs, and storage available through local computer networks and cloud storage.
