microtape

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 {macrotape}s, 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 {marketroid}s; another version of
   the story holds that someone discovered a conflict with another
   company's `microtape' trademark.