Comment by shevy-java
10 hours ago
Preserving old original floppy disks may be useful, for several reasons, but I myself got rid of all my floppy disks many years ago when USB sticks became viable; even ages ago already, e. g. using CDs and DVDs getting rid of floppy disks - so actually those USB devices killed my use case for floppy disks, CDs and DVDs. I still like DVDs but having USB sticks is simply more convenient in the long run.
The longevity of NAND flash is still very questionable, particularly modern high-density TLC/QLC:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43739028
SLC and early MLC should be OK for at least a few decades if not very worn, however
Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives:
https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle
Then use clean disk images on USB floppy emulators for old equipment:
https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy
It is rare to need these tools, but for some folks it is important. =3