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I've noticed that there are two spelling for the word disk: disk and
disc. I read somewhere that you should only use the latter (disc) when
describing laser discs and CD-ROMS.
** Originally it was a coin-toss. I recall switching from "disk" to
"disc" when I switched from writing about Control Data hardware to
writing about Hewlett-Packard hardware. Or was it the other way
around?
The invention of diskettes caused a big swing toward "disk" because
no one wants to write about "discettes".
But there's a graphical trademark for the standard laser disc
technology (used both in musical CDs and in CD-ROMs) and that
trademark features the "disc" spelling. Curiously, it's strongly
reminiscent of the trademark of the Kodak disc camera, which--
rather like the musical CD-- was based on the idea that the masses
would appreciate the reduced need for carefulness and only
the cranks would notice the reduction in quality.