Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
It continually surprises me that no one's created and sold a magnetic stripe card reader for PCs. For small files, it would seem like a no-brainer easy way to transport data... even if only a write-once device. Save it in a box, and when you're done with it, shred it.
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I seem to recall that there was one that didn't get very far past its initial release. It was more than then years ago, and it wasn't really a mag
card reader. The manufacturer intended it so that software could be printed on long mag strips in magazines. That way evaluation versions of software could be sent out in things like PC World right along with the ad.
A similar idea popped up when the new "3D" bar codes were developed. Those are the ones that use a square array of "bars" and a cash register style gun. Apparently, those can store information in a surprisingly dense manner.