11 ms·

HTML5 App on a Floppy Disk

99 points by bradgessler 13y ago

dy 13y ago
Pro Tip: If the app is meant for distribution, you'll want to make sure Write-Protect on the floppy is enabled.
- bradgessler 13y ago
  I made that mistake but one of our devs was quick to turn that on and saved the day. Now I need to learn how to shrink wrap boxes.
  - bluedino 13y ago
    What you really want to use is plastic bags in racks or on pegboard.
- imissmyjuno 13y ago
  What the hell is a 8" anyway? Aren't those called 3.25"?
  - ryalfalpha 13y ago
    It's just a larger, older model with less storage capacity! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/8-inch_floppy_disk.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/8-inch_fl...
    - imissmyjuno 13y ago
      Never knew! Thanks!
ebbv 13y ago
I put floppy disks on our site at work as a tongue in cheek fun visual and unfortunately nobody else liked it. Including our conversion rate. :(
themstheones 13y ago
It's very difficult and bordering on impossible to get an internal floppy drive in a modern pc. Probably the best bet is digging up a IDE LS-120 drive somewhere and using it through a PCI IDE controller.
- Dylan16807 13y ago
  Brand new perhaps it's difficult. But it was easy five years ago and a high end computer from then stands up well. Anyway why restrict yourself to internal?
- downrightmike 13y ago
  USB, media cards and 3.5 floppy boom: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820192022 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820192...
  - themstheones 13y ago
    Those actually use a floppy bus for the floppy disk drive, and good luck finding a pci floppy controller. I doubt one ever existed.
dvt 13y ago
"Building apps this way makes them highly cachable. It''s trivial to deploy this app on a CDN." Building apps any way makes them cachable. I don't get it. The app could be 50mb and the browser would still cache it. "A mobile HTML5 app should probably never be over 1.44MB. If it doesn't fit on a floppy its probably too big. Bonus for fitting on an 8"." Why? And why would you get bonus points for making it 700kb or less? This isn't 1983. Worrying about bandwidth, memory, and processing power (in user space) is no longer relevant. Instead, worry about scalability, cross-platform compatibility, code practices, etc, etc. Size should be the last thing on your mind. And setting arbitrary limits (1.44mb) is just silly. Calling this kind of exercise in futility "practical" is even sillier. "Impresses hipsters." Ah yes. That explains the up-votes.
- dwild 13y ago
  I think his first point is not about the file size but about the fact that it need to be static content (or content that use jsonp on an external server). That way you can drop it on any CDN and it will still work.
- Keyneston 13y ago
  > This isn't 1983. Worrying about bandwidth, memory, and processing power (in user space) is no longer relevant. Except not everyone is running a top of the line desktop in a first world country. Even in a first world country you have people on older laptops, slower internet, or even metered internet. Minimizing the size of your app is still a worthy goal. Maybe not to the level pushed in the article.
  - dvt 13y ago
    >Except not everyone is running a top of the line desktop in a first world country. Even in a first world country you have people on older laptops, slower internet, or even metered internet. If you're writing an HTML5 app, I assume your target doesn't comprise of Laptops from 1998 running IE5. > Minimizing the size of your app is still a worthy goal. Maybe not to the level pushed in the article. I agree.
    - 13y ago
bradgessler 13y ago
Hey folks! I'm happy to answer questions about this if you've got 'em of if you're in SF next week you should stop by our Middleman hackathon. The creator of Middleman will be there! https://www.facebook.com/events/194420917372942/ https://www.facebook.com/events/194420917372942/ is the registration link.
kayoone 13y ago
I am sure an USB 3.0 (Thunderbolt would be even better) floppy disk drive will solve that issue!
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- igravious 13y ago
  Sorry for being irritatingly SNOOT[1]ish but it's an _a_ (not an _an_) that you'll be needing there before that USB thingy because the U in USB is actually a y sound and you put an a before a y sound; viz. a yellow USB cable. Pauses, takes breath, exhales. [1] http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-2001-04-0070913.pdf http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-2001-0...
  - kayoone 13y ago
    oh, thanks for correcting ;) English isnt my native language so i might be forgiven :) I dont really get why the U (which stands for universal) is a y sound. What is a y sound anyway ?
    - igravious 13y ago
      No problem :) Because it is pronounced youneeversal :) Also, same reason you should write a hospital (or a hotel, they are aspirated, not silent) and not an hospital (or an hotel) no matter what people try to tell you!
      - qu4z-2 13y ago
        This gets problematic with some words, like "herb" where aspiration varies by location.
gotschi 13y ago
just copy the content to your hdd? and back for permanent changes - is that a big problem for you? this way at least you can satisfy your fetish for floppy disks :D
thrownaway2424 13y ago
You used to get all of QNX including the GUI shell and the web browser on a floppy.
mmanfrin 13y ago
Please rotate your phone when you film.
riobard 13y ago
That's really convoluted to simulate bad network. Here is an easy route if you are on OS X: get Apple's Network Link Conditioner [1], a System Preferences panel plugin. Once installed, tune your network to 3G Lossy and test again. [1]: http://adcdownload.apple.com/Developer_Tools/hardware_io_tools_for_xcode_4.4__late_july_2012/xcode44hwiotools6938115a.dmg http://adcdownload.apple.com/Developer_Tools/hardware_io_too...
- mattezell 13y ago
  That won't impress hipsters.
- skyebook 13y ago
  And it even shows up under the Developer pane in Settings on your iPhone! It's incredibly helpful.
  - riobard 13y ago
    Ha, I didn't know that! Where is the Developer panel on iPhone?
    - skyebook 13y ago
      When you provision your device for development it comes up.
- javajosh 13y ago
  That link doesn't work, but these instructions do:[1] Xcode > Open Developer Tool > More Developer Tools... and get "Hardware IO Tools for Xcode". http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9659382/installing-apples-network-link-conditioner-tool http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9659382/installing-apples...
- kevinSuttle 13y ago
  The test is about download performance and cacheability, though Apple's Network Link Conditioner is useful.
quackerhacker 13y ago
just going to say this: i miss snapping close the little metal shields on floppys.....nostalgic
wslh 13y ago
Is this Amazing? QNX had a demo of their OS with their windows environment, browser and more goodies in a 1.44 floppy disk. I also created a Linux distribution with the Squeak smalltalk ported to SVGA lib: http://swain.webframe.org/squeak/floppy/ http://swain.webframe.org/squeak/floppy/ and remember SqueakNOS: http://squeaknos.blogspot.com http://squeaknos.blogspot.com A full browser in 1.44 mb is a good target.
millerm 13y ago
This video reminds me of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA This response is humor, and not technical. So, don't follow if you don't feel like laughing.
flippyhead 13y ago
You have a floppy drive? Hello 1995!
Simple1234 13y ago
What the hell is a floppy disk?

99 points by bradgessler 13y ago

dy 13y ago

Pro Tip: If the app is meant for distribution, you'll want to make sure Write-Protect on the floppy is enabled.

bradgessler 13y ago
I made that mistake but one of our devs was quick to turn that on and saved the day. Now I need to learn how to shrink wrap boxes.
- bluedino 13y ago
  What you really want to use is plastic bags in racks or on pegboard.
imissmyjuno 13y ago
What the hell is a 8" anyway? Aren't those called 3.25"?
- ryalfalpha 13y ago
  It's just a larger, older model with less storage capacity! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/8-inch_floppy_disk.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/8-inch_fl...
  - imissmyjuno 13y ago
    Never knew! Thanks!

ebbv 13y ago

I put floppy disks on our site at work as a tongue in cheek fun visual and unfortunately nobody else liked it. Including our conversion rate. :(

themstheones 13y ago

It's very difficult and bordering on impossible to get an internal floppy drive in a modern pc. Probably the best bet is digging up a IDE LS-120 drive somewhere and using it through a PCI IDE controller.

Dylan16807 13y ago
Brand new perhaps it's difficult. But it was easy five years ago and a high end computer from then stands up well. Anyway why restrict yourself to internal?
downrightmike 13y ago
USB, media cards and 3.5 floppy boom: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820192022 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820192...
- themstheones 13y ago
  Those actually use a floppy bus for the floppy disk drive, and good luck finding a pci floppy controller. I doubt one ever existed.

dvt 13y ago

"Building apps this way makes them highly cachable. It''s trivial to deploy this app on a CDN." Building apps any way makes them cachable. I don't get it. The app could be 50mb and the browser would still cache it. "A mobile HTML5 app should probably never be over 1.44MB. If it doesn't fit on a floppy its probably too big. Bonus for fitting on an 8"." Why? And why would you get bonus points for making it 700kb or less? This isn't 1983. Worrying about bandwidth, memory, and processing power (in user space) is no longer relevant. Instead, worry about scalability, cross-platform compatibility, code practices, etc, etc. Size should be the last thing on your mind. And setting arbitrary limits (1.44mb) is just silly. Calling this kind of exercise in futility "practical" is even sillier. "Impresses hipsters." Ah yes. That explains the up-votes.

dwild 13y ago
I think his first point is not about the file size but about the fact that it need to be static content (or content that use jsonp on an external server). That way you can drop it on any CDN and it will still work.
Keyneston 13y ago
> This isn't 1983. Worrying about bandwidth, memory, and processing power (in user space) is no longer relevant. Except not everyone is running a top of the line desktop in a first world country. Even in a first world country you have people on older laptops, slower internet, or even metered internet. Minimizing the size of your app is still a worthy goal. Maybe not to the level pushed in the article.
- dvt 13y ago
  >Except not everyone is running a top of the line desktop in a first world country. Even in a first world country you have people on older laptops, slower internet, or even metered internet. If you're writing an HTML5 app, I assume your target doesn't comprise of Laptops from 1998 running IE5. > Minimizing the size of your app is still a worthy goal. Maybe not to the level pushed in the article. I agree.
  - 13y ago

bradgessler 13y ago

Hey folks! I'm happy to answer questions about this if you've got 'em of if you're in SF next week you should stop by our Middleman hackathon. The creator of Middleman will be there! https://www.facebook.com/events/194420917372942/ https://www.facebook.com/events/194420917372942/ is the registration link.

kayoone 13y ago

I am sure an USB 3.0 (Thunderbolt would be even better) floppy disk drive will solve that issue!

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
igravious 13y ago
Sorry for being irritatingly SNOOT[1]ish but it's an _a_ (not an _an_) that you'll be needing there before that USB thingy because the U in USB is actually a y sound and you put an a before a y sound; viz. a yellow USB cable. Pauses, takes breath, exhales. [1] http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-2001-04-0070913.pdf http://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/HarpersMagazine-2001-0...
- kayoone 13y ago
  oh, thanks for correcting ;) English isnt my native language so i might be forgiven :) I dont really get why the U (which stands for universal) is a y sound. What is a y sound anyway ?
  - igravious 13y ago
    No problem :) Because it is pronounced youneeversal :) Also, same reason you should write a hospital (or a hotel, they are aspirated, not silent) and not an hospital (or an hotel) no matter what people try to tell you!
    - qu4z-2 13y ago
      This gets problematic with some words, like "herb" where aspiration varies by location.

gotschi 13y ago

just copy the content to your hdd? and back for permanent changes - is that a big problem for you? this way at least you can satisfy your fetish for floppy disks :D

thrownaway2424 13y ago

You used to get all of QNX including the GUI shell and the web browser on a floppy.

mmanfrin 13y ago

Please rotate your phone when you film.

riobard 13y ago

That's really convoluted to simulate bad network. Here is an easy route if you are on OS X: get Apple's Network Link Conditioner [1], a System Preferences panel plugin. Once installed, tune your network to 3G Lossy and test again. [1]: http://adcdownload.apple.com/Developer_Tools/hardware_io_tools_for_xcode_4.4__late_july_2012/xcode44hwiotools6938115a.dmg http://adcdownload.apple.com/Developer_Tools/hardware_io_too...

mattezell 13y ago
That won't impress hipsters.
skyebook 13y ago
And it even shows up under the Developer pane in Settings on your iPhone! It's incredibly helpful.
- riobard 13y ago
  Ha, I didn't know that! Where is the Developer panel on iPhone?
  - skyebook 13y ago
    When you provision your device for development it comes up.
javajosh 13y ago
That link doesn't work, but these instructions do:[1] Xcode > Open Developer Tool > More Developer Tools... and get "Hardware IO Tools for Xcode". http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9659382/installing-apples-network-link-conditioner-tool http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9659382/installing-apples...
kevinSuttle 13y ago
The test is about download performance and cacheability, though Apple's Network Link Conditioner is useful.

quackerhacker 13y ago

just going to say this: i miss snapping close the little metal shields on floppys.....nostalgic

wslh 13y ago

Is this Amazing? QNX had a demo of their OS with their windows environment, browser and more goodies in a 1.44 floppy disk. I also created a Linux distribution with the Squeak smalltalk ported to SVGA lib: http://swain.webframe.org/squeak/floppy/ http://swain.webframe.org/squeak/floppy/ and remember SqueakNOS: http://squeaknos.blogspot.com http://squeaknos.blogspot.com A full browser in 1.44 mb is a good target.

millerm 13y ago

This video reminds me of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA This response is humor, and not technical. So, don't follow if you don't feel like laughing.

flippyhead 13y ago

You have a floppy drive? Hello 1995!

Simple1234 13y ago

What the hell is a floppy disk?