Magnetic tape filesystem

[Chuck Guzis]

On 02/09/2015 11:00 AM, Peter Corlett wrote:

> JOOI, why was there such a need to sort large datasets back in the mainframe
> era?

Knuth's book's title gives a hint.  He called it "Searching and 
Sorting".  The two go hand in hand.

I think the simple answer is that it's easier to search sorted data, 
particularly when said data is offline--i.e. hanging in a slot in a tape 
rack, or in a drawer in a card cabinet.  Nowadays, when everything can 
be kept online, it's probably less important than it used to be.

--Chuck