CD Rom is short for Compact Disk Read only memory. It is a data
storage device which can store much more information than a
floppy disk - 650Mb as opposed to 1.44 Mb - but at present this
data has to be written on to it by a special machine rather than
an ordinary computer. "Read only memory" means that once stored
on the disk, the information cannot be changed. CD Roms are made
of plastic and data is stored in binary form as holes etched on
to the surface which are then read by a laser when the CD Rom is
"played" in the computer's "CD Rom drive" (in the same way that
audio CDs are played in hi-fi systems). CDs will are now being
developed that users can write on to as well as read. See also
Collin, S.M.H. [ed.], Dictionary of Multimedia, Peter Collin
Publishing, Teddington, Middlesex, 1995, p42. |Dr Ju Gosling aka
ju90's ABNORMAL: How Britain became body dysphoric and the key
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