Punched tape  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to:
navigation, search Five hole and eight hole punched tape.
Punched tape made of Mylar, for industrial applicatons, 1979.
Mylar is more robust than paper.  Punched tape is a medium for
data storage. It is made of a long strip with holes in it. The
holes are used to represent information. The principle is the
same as that of a punched card, except that the length is
variable. Punched tape was widely used in the 1950s and 1960s,
but was later replaced by other media. Punched tape was first
used to program looms, in the 18th century. Similar looms are
still used for waving Tartans, but the punched tape is made of
metal platelets today. Another use of punched tape is in barrel
organs.  20th century teleprinters also use punched tape. Herman
Hollerith used punched tape for a census, in 1890. Gilbert
Vernam, a telecommunication engineer developed the Vernam cipher
in 1917. This cipher could be used with punched tape. Vernam
combined a character of the punch