I like the Fits on a Floppy manifesto by Matt Sephton:

Software should be as small as it can be. Not as a gimmick, but as a discipline. The floppy disk is the measuring stick: 1.44 MB. If the software that ran entire businesses could fit in that space, then a modern, focused, single-purpose tool certainly can.

In my own work, I have mostly focused on the web side of this equation, as this is where the situation feels the most dire: tens of megabytes dedicated to heavy frameworks, unnecessary tracking scripts, and video ads have a real negative effect on experiencing websites. Progressive loading challenges also make it harder to offer a great experience.

But space considerations are starting to feel more pertinent to local software too, in an era where SSD and hard drive prices are going up, and where local LLM models start taking up more room.

Also, this passage feels very Unsung, and is exactly why the tag #history exists on this blog:

I don’t miss floppy disks. I miss the mindset they demanded—that every byte matters, that constraints breed creativity, and that software should be light on its footprint.

If you reduce tech history to just nostalgia, it won’t be that useful. But if you look at it as inspiration, you might find some truly wonderful and meaningful stuff in there.

On that note: Bonus for a nice classic domain, and a nod toward Mac’s most famous screensaver.