The expression CD-ROM is made up of two parts, both linked to acronyms of the English language. A CD is a compact disc : a compact disc . ROM , on the other hand, refers to Read Only Memory .
It can be said, therefore, that a CD-ROM is a type of compact disc (an optical element that is digitally recorded and used for data storage). Specifically, it is a CD that uses laser rays to save and read digital information .
The CD-ROM , which in our language can also be written as CD-ROM according to what is accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), emerged in the mid- 1980s . For almost twenty years it was the most used medium for saving and distributing data in digital format, although it was later surpassed by DVD-ROM .
CD-ROMs generally have a storage capacity of 700 MB . Some special ones, however, can store up to 900 MB . CD-ROMs are usually used to store and market software (operating systems, games, etc.) and databases.
To view the information stored on a CD-ROM, it is necessary to have a device known as a CD reader , which accesses the data through a laser. It must be taken into account, however, that a CD reader may not recognize the format of the files stored on the CD-ROM .
In addition to everything stated above, we cannot ignore another series of curiosities about the CD-ROM, such as the following:
-This article is considered to have its origins in a collaboration between Philips and Sony.
-The first was launched in November 1982. However, it is considered that the first was already shaped in 1979.
-The first album that came out on this digital medium was “The Visitors” by the famous group ABBA. Specifically, he did it on August 17, 1982 in Germany.
-Within the musical field, it should be noted that it was in 1985 when, for the first time, a group decided to use the CD as the sole support for their recording works, thus leaving vinyl aside. Specifically, that band was none other than Dire Straits.
-At first, the CD created by Philips had 60 minutes of audio, but later Sony began to make this medium definitively 74 minutes. Because? Because, apparently, that mark determined that it was the time necessary to fit Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. That is one theory, the other determines that Sony simply tried to get ahead and stop the rival company that had all the advantage in this sector.
-When Sony changed the length of the CD-ROM it also introduced new features in another aspect. Specifically, it made that support go from having 11.5 centimeters in diameter to a total of 12.7 centimeters.
If the side of the CD-ROM that the device is intended to read becomes damaged or dirty, access to the data may not be possible. In that case, it is necessary to clean the CD to try to solve the problem.