WD External Disc Drive

Arthur Chance freebsd at qeng-ho.org
Mon Oct 26 12:07:48 UTC 2009


Polytropon wrote:
> Hi Rob,
> 
> just a little terminology note (from me, Mister Use-the-correct-words):
> If you are refering to a kind of hard disk, use "disk" with k.
> Think like "diskette". If you are refering to optical media,
> use "disc" with c. Think like "CD = compact disc".
> 
> Disk: disk pack, hard disk, disk drive
> Disc: optical disc, magneto-optical disc, disc drive

Um, I don't want to get into spelling flames but from where I'm sitting 
(the UK) "disk" is the American English spelling and "disc" is the 
British English spelling of the same word which means in general a flat 
thin round thing and in computing a (usually) spinning flat thin round 
thing used for non-volatile storage. The distinction you make is one 
I've not come across before, and I've worked with computers for nearly 
40 years. I think it's better to simply qualify dis[ck] with an 
adjective to disambiguate as necessary and accept that the US had a 
spelling reform that the UK didn't so both forms are valid and 
interchangeable.

See also: program v. programme, colour v. color, etc. :-)



More information about the freebsd-questions mailing list