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Compared to 5.25" and 8" floppy disks, the 3.5" weren't very floppy. They didn't bend that easily, were stiff compared to the older formats.

Paragraph from Wikipedia:

Generally, the term floppy disk persisted, even though later style floppy disks have a rigid case around an internal floppy disk.

Where there people who refused to call 3.5" floppy disks floppy disks because they weren't floppy enough?

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[-] MutantTailThing@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Over here in the boonies we used to call em diskettes.

[-] one_old_coder@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

Disquettes in France.

[-] squirrel@cake.kobel.fyi 1 points 2 days ago

That's very close to german: Disketten.

[-] Rothe@piefed.social 1 points 2 days ago
[-] protogen420 1 points 1 day ago

in portuguese we called them disquete

[-] 20cello@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago
[-] Almacca@aussie.zone 1 points 2 days ago

Aren't we all.

[-] mrsemi@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Yar. The actual disk itself was indeed floppy. The cartridge is not the disk.

[-] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago
[-] Nemo@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 day ago

They were also square. We still called them "discs".

[-] teft@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

The disc inside is still round though. Did you never crack one open to see?

[-] Nemo@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 day ago

Of course I did. OP is asking if our description matched the inside or the outside, I'm giving further evidence that the (rigid, square) casing didn't affect that description.

[-] Libb@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

The housing was kinda rigid but the disk itself was real flimsy, says I who have used many floppy disks. Plus, in French we used to say 'disque' or even 'disquette' (a small disk) which did not relate at all to their floppiness, so to speak.

[-] farmgineer@nord.pub 1 points 2 days ago

I was still a kid in the '80s, but basically grew up around (and in, sometimes), computer stores and computers. I don't recall hearing this.

[-] CallMeAl@piefed.zip 1 points 2 days ago
[-] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago

People loved saying the word floppy and this correlated well with another 3.5" object that could reasonably reach 5.25" or even 8" when less "floppy."

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

In their dreams

this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2026
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