Old IBM magnetic media

[Chuck Guzis]

On 2/1/20 8:23 AM, Donald via cctalk wrote:

> I was also wondering what old mainframe magnetic media cost back in the day.
> 2311, 2314, 3330 packs. 2314 Data Cell and a 3850 MSS cartridge. And a 7340
> tape cassette.

Half-inch tape (7 or 9 track) was the lingua franca medium used most
widely.   It was comparatively cheap, purchased by the truck- or
pallet-load, depending on the size of the operation.  The pre-1980s
floppy disk equivalent.

I've often wondered what the total consumption of 1/2 inch tape by the
US Internal Revenue Service was during the time that it was used.  I
suspect that it runs well into 8 figures.  Bear in mind that corporate
tax returns were also submitted on the medium.

--Chuck