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microtape
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microtape /mi:'kroh-tayp/ /n./ Occasionally used to mean a
DECtape, as opposed to a macrotape. A DECtape is a small
reel, about 4 inches in diameter, of magnetic tape about an inch
wide. Unlike those for today's macrotapes, microtape drivers
allowed random access to the data, and therefore could be used to
support file systems and even for swapping (this was generally done
purely for hack value, as they were far too slow for practical
use). In their heyday they were used in pretty much the same ways
one would now use a floppy disk: as a small, portable way to save
and transport files and programs. Apparently the term
`microtape' was actually the official term used within DEC for
these tapes until someone coined the word `DECtape', which, of
course, sounded sexier to the marketroids; another version of
the story holds that someone discovered a conflict with another
company's `microtape' trademark.
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