USB & FireWire...
USB 2 is pretty fast. Many devices run on it. Few devices run on SB1394 (FireWire), under Windows that is. The Mac is a totally different story. I have SB 1.1, SB 2.0, & SB1394 (FireWire) & have yet to buy a Firewire device as it seem most devices now come in USB 1.1 or 2.0. I'm sure there are FireWire devices out there for Windows but not to many at this time. This may change in the future but I have to use my computer in the here & now.
The reason we still have floppies is many fold...
* Many backup programs such as Norton Ghost, Windows XP backup, & Windows 98 Startup disk, just to name a few, require a floppy to rebuild the Windows system. The files on the floppy are used to “jump start”, so to speaking, the operating system. Depending on the backup program employed, they have just enough files to access the backup program & restore the operating system &/or complete drive. Win XP is a great example… the ASR (Automatic System Recovery) floppy has only 3 small files on it. But that is all that is needed to do a complete restore of your hard drive including all your documents, programs & settings.
* Without a floppy there would be no way to access the operating system if your hard drive failed or had to be rebuilt. I know, as I have had several occasions to use all of the above to get my system back up & running.
* Win NT, Win 2000, & Win XP have no DOS at all… it is gone, totally dead. That means no DOS Prompt at all under NTFS (NT File Structure). So if you want to have any hope of restoring your hard drive you can’t do it through the DOS Prompt as there is none. But, you can always boot up to a floppy to troubleshoot &/or restore your system.
* It is sometimes nice to be able to carry a few small files or programs with me in my pocket when going to a friends house to resolve an unknown problem. This happen to me just two days ago. The floppy saved the day as it had the one critical file needed to resolve the problem & get the program back up & running. I always carry a small (90kb) DOS file manager (PFM) with me. This has saved the day more times then I can tell you.
So yes, there is defiantly still a need for a floppy drive. The next time your hard drive goes south or you accidentally wipe out all your files you will understand the need.
The 2.88 Mg floppy was a good idea in its time (about 10 years ago) but it unfortunately got caught in the old BETA verses VHS bug-a-bo as who was going to be the new standard. In the meantime it died. It is now much to little & much to late. Forget it, its dead.