Author Topic: Disc vs Disk  (Read 14916 times)

DarkFang

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Disc vs Disk
« on: 2010-05-27 13:34:31 »
Disc:
A disc refers to optical media, such as an audio CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, or DVD-Video disc. Some discs are read-only (ROM), others allow you to burn content (write files) to the disc once (such as a CD-R or DVD-R, unless you do a multisession  burn), and some can be erased and rewritten over many times (such as CD-RW, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM discs).

All discs are removable, meaning when you unmount or eject the disc from your desktop or Finder, it physically comes out of your computer.


Disk:
A disk refers to magnetic media, such as a floppy disk, the disk in your computer's hard drive, an external hard drive. Disks are always rewritable unless intentionally locked or write-protected. You can easily partition  a disk into several smaller volumes, too.

Disks are usually sealed inside a metal or plastic casing (often, a disk and its enclosing mechanism are collectively known as a "hard drive").


So if I see someone use the word disk improperly again, I will correct them. For example, "I'm having trouble with Disk 2 of Final Fantasy VII." It is not disk, it is disc.

Thank you.

nikfrozty

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #1 on: 2010-05-27 13:38:47 »
Hmm. I'm quite confused here. What you mean is disc is the cd to run games and disk is the drives in the computers like disk drive. Is that right?

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #2 on: 2010-05-27 13:49:40 »
Hmm. I'm quite confused here. What you mean is disc is the cd to run games and disk is the drives in the computers like disk drive. Is that right?

That is correct.

nfitc1

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #3 on: 2010-05-27 13:53:44 »
Woah! For real? I never knew that.  :-o

Timu Sumisu

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #4 on: 2010-05-27 15:32:14 »
informative forum is informative

Furzball

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #5 on: 2010-05-27 16:10:07 »
informative forum is informative

Faggish person is faggish.

Haha jk.  :)
Uncalled for Darkfang.

But this is a handy bit of information.

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #6 on: 2010-05-27 16:16:51 »
informative forum is informative

Faggish person is faggish.

Haha jk.  :)
Uncalled for Darkfang.

But this is a handy bit of information.

I don't know what you're talking about.  :P

obesebear

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #7 on: 2010-05-27 16:47:17 »
I think he's talking about your 13 year old sense of humor

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #8 on: 2010-05-27 16:52:17 »
I think he's talking about your 13 year old sense of humor

Serious guy is serious. -_-

Opine

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #9 on: 2010-05-27 17:12:26 »
Consider me enlightened.

ultima espio

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #10 on: 2010-05-27 18:22:19 »
Weird, i was just thinking about this :o

*edits post*

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #11 on: 2010-05-27 18:23:35 »
Weird, i was just thinking about this :o

*edits post*

Uh huh. I saw you post disk. :o

ultima espio

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #12 on: 2010-05-27 18:30:34 »
Liar.



 :-P

Cupcake

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #13 on: 2010-05-27 20:45:52 »
There are people who don't now the difference between Disk and Disc?!

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #14 on: 2010-05-27 20:46:51 »
There are people who don't now the difference between Disk and Disc?!

I've seen about 5 posts just today with people using them incorrectly.

nikfrozty

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #15 on: 2010-05-27 21:14:18 »
Hmm if you take a look at the files inside of the ff8 cd there is a file named DISK2.pak. Just wanted you to know. :)

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #16 on: 2010-05-27 21:35:18 »
Hmm if you take a look at the files inside of the ff8 cd there is a file named DISK2.pak. Just wanted you to know. :)

They are wrong. Square fails.

Covarr

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #17 on: 2010-05-27 23:16:48 »
The word "disc" comes from the latin word "discus", something which is flat and round.

If it's not flat and round, use "disk". If it is, use "disc".

The Seer of Shadows

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #18 on: 2010-05-27 23:22:12 »
Just woke up, it's a public holiday over here, yet I'm... still learning new stuff!!?

Noooooooooooooo!! :oops:

nikfrozty

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #19 on: 2010-05-27 23:23:59 »
The word "disc" comes from the latin word "discus", something which is flat and round.

If it's not flat and round, use "disk". If it is, use "disc".
That actually makes more sense. Simple explanation but it explains it much easier. Never knew one different letter and it means another thing.

Bosola

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #20 on: 2010-05-28 00:06:30 »
Bull.

English spelling systems have been based on nothing other than:
* Common usage, and
* Mutual intelligibility

These have been the only arguments Prescriptivists have ever been able to hang on to. So when a case like this appears, where the disc<>disk confusion manages to maintain

- continuity with common usage, and
- intelligibility despite ambiguity

There's really no argument whatsoever for upholding the matter. Please remember that English has only had a standardized spelling system since the mid-Eighteenth Century, and that was only devised for the sake of preventing confusion and verbal ambiguity. There is no other solid, compelling, or even rational argument for linguistic prescription otherwise.

As it happens, you're wrong anyway. There has never been a semantic difference between disc and disk, and all hard drives contain platters of thin, circular 'discs' anyway. It was purely by chance that the first floppy developers used the term 'diskette', and that Philips chose 'disc' when trademarking 'Compact Discs'. These have created precedents and de facto habits of spelling in certain fields, but this is quite something off an immutable matter of 'right and wrong'.
« Last Edit: 2010-05-28 00:16:47 by Bosola »

Hellbringer616

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #21 on: 2010-05-28 11:59:26 »
Bull.

English spelling systems have been based on nothing other than:
* Common usage, and
* Mutual intelligibility

These have been the only arguments Prescriptivists have ever been able to hang on to. So when a case like this appears, where the disc<>disk confusion manages to maintain

- continuity with common usage, and
- intelligibility despite ambiguity

There's really no argument whatsoever for upholding the matter. Please remember that English has only had a standardized spelling system since the mid-Eighteenth Century, and that was only devised for the sake of preventing confusion and verbal ambiguity. There is no other solid, compelling, or even rational argument for linguistic prescription otherwise.

As it happens, you're wrong anyway. There has never been a semantic difference between disc and disk, and all hard drives contain platters of thin, circular 'discs' anyway. It was purely by chance that the first floppy developers used the term 'diskette', and that Philips chose 'disc' when trademarking 'Compact Discs'. These have created precedents and de facto habits of spelling in certain fields, but this is quite something off an immutable matter of 'right and wrong'.

In computing terms he is right. Disk is Hard Drives, Floppy Disks (all variants i believe.) I think Zip Disk(c)s are spelled with a K over C as well.
All optical media (at least so far) is a Disc, As for exactly WHY that is. I assume your answers above are correct. But in English (American anyway) it is indeed Disc for CD, DVD, BD. and Disk for Hard drives, Floppy, Zip. Am i missing any in this category? ;P

OH! please note, I am just going by labels here, being TRUELY correct i'm sure i'm wrong, But to me it's like called a Blu-ray and Blue-ray. Though "blue" is the more correct way, it's labeled  "Blu" Unless BLU is an acronym haha ;D

my 2 cents

Jaitsu

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #22 on: 2010-05-28 23:36:21 »
no offence Darkfang, but i just don't think this is something to get so worked up about, on this sight, we're all talking about game discs anyway, no point in getting all upset if someone makes a simple mistake.

with that out of the way, WHO WANTS CAKE !!?? ^_^

DarkFang

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #23 on: 2010-05-29 00:03:07 »
No offence DarkFang, but I just don't think this is something to get so worked up about. On this site, we're all talking about game discs anyway, no point in getting all upset if someone makes a simple mistake.

With that out of the way, who wants cake!!?? ^_^

I'm a grammar Nazi. It's my job.
« Last Edit: 2010-05-29 00:09:18 by DarkFang »

Jaitsu

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Re: Disc vs Disk
« Reply #24 on: 2010-05-29 00:04:56 »
I'm a grammar Nazi. It's my job.

^_^ whats the pay, sounds like a helluva job