Etymology

sneakernet

sneak·er·net
S1N1E1A1K5E1R1N1E1T1

Today it means: A method of transferring a computer file from one computer to another by copying it to a floppy disk, thumb drive, or some other external storage device, carrying the device to the other computer, and saving the file there, in contrast to electronic methods used by networked computers to transfer data. Full definition →

First used 1980s
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The story

From sneaker (“running shoe”) + net (“network”), a reference to a person wearing sneakers walking from one computer to another.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1980s A method of transferring a computer file from one computer to another by copying it to a floppy disk, thumb drive, or some other external storage device, carrying the device to the other computer, and saving the file there, in contrast to electronic methods used by networked computers to transfer data.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.