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WonderTechnology fact

IBM's 3380 disk drive, launched in 1980, was among the first to store more than a gigabyte: 2.52 gigabytes in a cabinet about the size of a refrigerator.

Computing history (IBM storage)

TechnologyHistory

The story behind the card

IBM called machines like the 3380 direct access storage devices: disk units that let a mainframe, the large central computer of a bank, airline or government office, jump straight to any record instead of winding through a tape. Each 3380 held two sealed disk assemblies with four independent read-write arms, and prices at launch ran from $81,000 to $142,200, depending on the model. It stayed in production for more than 15 years and became one of the most successful products in IBM's history. Today a microSD card about the size of a fingernail can hold a terabyte, roughly 400 times as much, for a tiny fraction of the price.

Türkçe oku
IBM'in 1980'de piyasaya sürdüğü 3380 disk sürücüsü, bir gigabayttan fazla veri saklayabilen ilk cihazlardandı. Buzdolabı büyüklüğündeki bir dolaba 2,52 gigabayt sığıyordu.

IBM, 3380 gibi makinelere “doğrudan erişimli depolama aygıtı” adını veriyordu. Bunlar bankaların, havayollarının ve devlet dairelerinin ana bilgisayarlarına, yani kurumun bütün işini gören büyük merkezî bilgisayarlara bağlanan disk birimleriydi. Aranan kayda, bant gibi baştan sarmaya gerek kalmadan doğrudan ulaşmayı sağlıyorlardı. Her 3380'in içinde iki kapalı disk grubu ve dört ayrı okuma-yazma kolu vardı; piyasaya çıktığında modeline göre 81.000 ile 142.200 dolar arasında satılıyordu. Cihaz on beş yılı aşkın süre üretildi ve IBM tarihinin en başarılı ürünlerinden biri oldu. Bugün tırnak büyüklüğündeki bir microSD kart bir terabayt, yani bunun yaklaşık 400 katı veri saklayabiliyor; üstelik fiyatı kat kat düşük.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: IBM 3380
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