It is possible that the conversation about the use of floppy disks in Japan is familiar to you, and it is known that for many years the public administration of one of the countries that played a key role in the development of technology, paradoxically they have remained anchored to technologies that are largely obsolete, if not outright obsolete.. It is true, yes, Japan is not the only country experiencing this situation, for example, a few months ago we talked about an equally surprising case in Germany, but it is most likely the most paradigmatic.

Relying on outdated technological solutions brings a number of problems, which recommend an update. However, the larger their implementation, the more complex the process required to replace them. But even so, it’s something that needs to be done sooner or later, and considering this point, it’s best to go for the maximum The son the betterso the sooner the better.

When Taro Kono was appointed Minister of Digital Media in August 2022, he took up the challenge and in one of his first actions in office announced that The process of eliminating obsolete technologies from Japanese public administration has begun and as we already told you, floppy disks occupied one of the first positions in the ranking, in which we also found other somewhat more “up-to-date” storage media, such as MiniDisk and CD.

When this announcement was made, It had been 12 years since Sony stopped making floppy disks and although they can still be purchased today, their availability and price have decreased and increased, respectively, in a more than remarkable manner. However, a plan was needed that included both the modernization of the infrastructure and the introduction of regulations aimed at raising the obligation to modernize to the level of law.

Almost two years have passed since then, but according to Reuters Japan has finally won the floppy disk war, with the removal of all regulations (more than 1,000) that imposed its use in the public administration of the country. Now, of course, the big question is whether, hand in hand with the legal processes, the infrastructure has also been modernized so that it is no longer necessary to use diskettes for everything for which they were necessary. . until now.

The first removable storage medium I ever used was a cartridge, and from there I made the leap to 5.1/4 floppy disks, which I always remember with special fondness. However, it is undeniable that The most successful of the formats were 3 1/2 inch floppy disks., not only because of smaller dimensions, but also because of greater resistance and capacity. However, the advent of first optical media and later non-energy-independent flash memories at the turn of the century rapidly accelerated its decline.