The German navy is still using 8-inch floppy disks and readily admits that this is a problem. But the problem is not reliability, which is in fact the reason they're still in action after decades of use.
Earlier this month, Augen geradeaus! spotted a tender for service published June 21 by Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to modernize the German Navy's four F123 frigates. The ships were commissioned from October 1994 to December 1996. As noted by German IT news outlet Heise, the continued use of 8-inch floppies despite modern alternatives being available for years "has to do with the fact that established systems are considered more reliable."
"Further details, like how exactly Saab will replace the floppies, are confidential," Ars Technica reports. Chances seem good that they'll be replaced with binned NAND flash storage at a cost of €70m a workstation and it'll fail in three years.
Previously:
• Interview with the last man standing in the floppy disk business
• How to turn your floppy disk drive into an awesome 8-bit instrument
• Are you still using floppy disks?
