3 ms·

We used to call the 1.44MB (3.5inch) disk stiffies, since they are rigid, while the physically bigger disks we used to refer to as floppies. And they used to f

by dirkc 8mo ago

We used to call the 1.44MB (3.5inch) disk stiffies, since they are rigid, while the physically bigger disks we used to refer to as floppies. And they used to fail all the time, especially when you had something that spanned more than a single disk.

urbandw311er 8mo ago
Is that name used with an eyebrow raised, or did that particular double entendre not make it out of the UK?
- dirkc 8mo ago
  My level of English was very basic during the age of stiffies, so that double entendre never occurred to me at the time
lproven 8mo ago
> We used to call the 1.44MB (3.5inch) disk stiffies Are you from South Africa? I understand it was the standard slang name there -- and nowhere else, because of the double entendre.
- dirkc 8mo ago
  I am indeed. Very specific knowledge of South Africa you have there :)
  - lproven 8mo ago
    I did grow up in Africa, but West not South. But yeah, when that nickname was current, it was quite famous -- and nobody else dared use it, even the Aussies! :-D