This article was the first serious public look at the technical aspects of and market potential for CD-ReWritable (CD-RW). Known during its development as CD-Erasable (CD-E), CD-RW is an interesting chapter in the history of optical storage and, fanciful expectations of its promoters aside, continues to endure, long outliving most of its contemporaries.
By incorporating CD-RW support directly into future operating systems, Philips, Sony, Compaq, and Microsoft have unilaterally declared CD-RW to be the replacement for the floppy disk. They call it “Mt. Rainier.” What others may call it is another matter — maybe high-handed? Or arrogant? It’s like declaring darkness the industry standard if you aren’t smart …
Continue reading ‘Floppy Disk Replacement – CD-R or CD-RW?’ »
Some aspire to greatness while others have greatness thrust upon them. Certainly, greatness appears to have been thrust upon CD-R, which started life humbly enough as an expensive prototyping system. Beginning almost in obscurity, it now is poised to be the dominant optical storage technology for the next five years. Where else can so much …
While by no means the last word in CD-Recordable, Hewlett-Packard’s CD-Writer 4020i is none the less a significant step forward in the evolution of CD recorders from specialized tools to everyday peripherals.