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CD-ROM The acronym CD-ROM, stands for Compact Disk Read Only Memory, and these curious little devices are pretty much seen everywhere today. The CD-ROM was invented in 1984 by Philips and Sony, and was first used to write access amounts of information to a single disk; companies like, GM, Ford and Chrysler employed these new compact disks for the purpose of storing parts and repair information that was taking up too much room in other storage facilities. CD-ROM’s can store much more data then a floppy disk can and for the purpose of simply storing in formation are much more ideal. CD-ROM’s look very much like traditional music CD’s and for all intentional purposes they are CD’s. The only real difference is that CD-ROM’s can hold much more information than a CD and are used for video and informational purposes as well as audio ones. A CD-ROM holds about 600-650 megabytes of storage space. What that means is that a standard CD-ROM can hold upwards of 300,000 pages of text information! Today, CD-ROM’s are used primarily for storing computer software; large quantities of factual information and many companies implement the CD-ROM’s storage capacity for various multimedia applications. CD-ROM’s do have some drawbacks, however: For example, a CD-ROM’s surface can be damaged very easily and the smallest fingerprint or smudge can mess up a CD-ROM just enough to render it useless. In addition to that a CD-ROM only has a lifespan of about 10-50 years depending on the amount of care given to it. Also, CD-ROM’s are only write-able once and beyond that they are read only. The CD-ROM is highly implemented in modern life and just about all people that have a computer have used a CD-ROM at least once. This very useful device has been a great asset to the information age in many regards. However, it like all the rest of technology is changing and evolving to better suit the times. Right now it looks as though the CD-ROM is-in the very near future-going to be bumped out of the way to make room for DVD’s and other higher quality storage technology.
Nick
Telman
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