Threw out a load of old floppy disks today. Can't remember the last time I used one for anything (useful). Wasted a few seconds ripping these bits off, and adding them to the scrap metal bin for recycling. Destroyed the disks in case there was any sensitive information on them. Thought I'd done them all last year when there was a pile of several hundred for the bin. A work experience lad was happy (surprisingly) to copy all the data from them on to a single CD.

How things have changed. One disk wouldn't have enough capacity for a single decent digital photograph file. In this format, the HD floppy disks were probably the main portable storage medium for about ten years (through the 1990's). Personally I found them unreliable latterly. I suspect the quality of manufacture dropped with time, along with the costs. Though it may have been the quality of the disk drives that were the problem.

Flash memory, in various forms, is my current portable media. In ten years time - who knows what will be in use.