Magnetic tape data storage (UNISERVO)
Cinta magnética para datos (UNISERVO)
- Date
- 1951 · confidence high
- Place
- Eckert-Mauchly / Remington Rand, Philadelphia, United States
- Credited to
- Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (UNIVAC I)
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What it is
First metal tape unit for storing and reading computer data in sequence, with far greater capacity than punched cards. It turned the computer into a file-processing machine.
What it led to
- Business data processing and computerised censuses
- Backup archives and cold storage still used by data centres today
- Database management systems
Built on
- Hollerith punched card1884–1890
- Magnetic tape recording (Magnetophon)1928–1935
- magnetic tape recorder (Magnetophon)
Made possible
- UNIVAC I commercial computer1951
- Hard disk drive (IBM RAMAC)1956
- Floppy disk1971
- databases
- compact audio cassette