HN Explorer

Tell HN: Kids know what floppy disks are

6 points by _lffv ↗ HN
Something I've heard a lot is "Today's Kids Don't Know What a Floppy Disk Is".

TL;DR: Yes we do.

Hi, I'm deven, a 16-year-old computer dude from Lewiston, Maine. It's one of the most-populated cities in this poor old state, last I checked. There aren't any game stores or arcades around here anymore. I still know what a cathode ray tube is. My friends know what a cathode ray tube is. We use them. Daily. They look better, at least to us. Bing it, someone else can explain why better than I can.

We know what VHSes are! And what compact cassette is! And we regularly use CDs and records! For God's sake, I have a cabinet full (literally overflowing) of tapes right next to me as I type this. I still play my mother's Gameboy Advance.

My point: Stop saying "Generation Z" doesn't know what your "90s kid" tech is.

We're not stupid. Old technology is still relevant in 2019 (going into 2020). Example: Windows, and I think Linux, display a laptop touchpad as a "PS/2 Mouse". What's a PS/2 mouse? Oh, the IBM Personal System/2, the attempted successor to the 5150 with improved graphics capability. Why can't you make a file called COM1.TXT on any version of Windows? Oh, it's backwards compatibility with CP/M (thanks, Foone).

Millenials tend to underestimate Gen. Z, especially our knowledge of old stuff. You don't seem to realize LGR's YouTube channel has spread among us faster than one of our "meme"s. Please stop saying we don't know what old technology is. If I see another person on this site say "modern teens don't know what a Trinitron is" I'm going to throw my computer into a lake. If I, a kid from a town where inbreeding isn't uncommon, know what a 5.25" floppy disk is used for, the computer kid from New York City probably does too. I hope.

This is a caffeine-fueled rant, if someone uses ad hominems my excuse is that I'm just a teen and don't know any better.

11 comments

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dyingkneepad
OK Zoomer.

(sorry guys, I know it's off-topic and offensive to some, but I couldn't resist such an appropriate moment for this joke)

cblum
We’ve been using that with our daughter. Lol
president
Offended much? I don't think people are judging anybody for not knowing about old technology. If this isn't a troll post then I'm gravely concerned about the future of our society as people should not be this outraged about petty things like this.
codingdave
It isn't petty. Especially in our younger years, we are susceptible to suggestion. If we tell our youth that they don't know about technology, we should celebrate teens who push back on us about it... because many others will simply believe us, and stop trying to learn.

Despite the ranting tone, this encourages me for our future - we have youth with both brains and spines who are willing to stand up and have their say. We need a little youthful outrage in this society to start making some changes, so this might not be the typical HN post, but I like it.

[deleted]
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zozbot234
Floppy disks? Do you mean real-life save icons? Yeah I've spotted a few of those around, but how am I supposed to interact with them and save my progress?
seattle_spring
When I became A+ certified in 2004 I learned about CPU slots from the late 80s, so I wouldn't be surprised if the exams nowadays cover crap from the mid 90s.
RandomGuyDTB
Getting my A+ now; I haven't seen anything from the 80s pop up (I don't think I've even seen a mention of the Personal System 2 written out). Earliest it goes is probably the dial-up connections. It's a shame that it doesn't teach about floppies anymore.
mean_gene_1976
This is bullshit. I just can’t stand baby boomers understanding of the history of violence in my country. It’s always been my generation is so crazy. Bitch, y’all had Charles Manson, Charles Whitman, the Hells Angels, and the Vietnam war. That’s just a few. Stop with the dooms day sermons and die like you want to live.
thedevindevops
I'm approaching 30 so your millage may vary but the first time someone tried to pull that on me, I asked them how it related to delay line memory, drum memory, magnetic-core memory, core rope memory and eventually magnetic tape memory (which they did know about). No lakes involved.
[dead] crnamafija
All I see is bragging from a boomer about knowing what a floppy disk is :D