Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel
Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people online referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in, wondering whether they should add a "DVD player" to their new PC build). I feel like this is my new pet peeve.. A DVD player is a stand-alone device meant to play DVD movies on a TV; a PC optical drive is not a "player".
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel
If it only plays discs, then it'a "player". If you can write to a disc, then it's a "burner" or "writer". The term, "optical drive" merely refers to the type of supported media.
Now, go decompress. :)
Shrug, same thing variation on application. I get it might be your pet peeve, but so long as someone still knows what you're talking about does it matter?
Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people
online referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in,
wondering whether they should add a "DVD player" to their new PC
build). I feel like this is my new pet peeve.. A DVD player is a stand-alone device meant to play DVD movies on a TV; a PC optical
drive is not a "player".
But I did a search online, and I saw at least one ad online for an
external USB blu-ray drive with the word "player" in the description..
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"?
I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're
watching a movie disc on your PC, it's the software that does the
playing of the video. The optical drive is just reading the data,
and you could also be using the optical disc to install software, rip
movies, etc., which are activities that don't count as "playing"
something.
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're watching
In a tangentially related "old man yells at cloud" issue:
KB vs KiB, etc
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10 years or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
I've come to terms with the change but I don't really like it.
At work, the legacy system I work on refers to storage in base 2 so a KB=1024 but interacts with newer services that are base 10 where KB=1000 so there's a headache of conversions.
Anyway, I don't really understand why that all changed. I've heard people mention HDD storage manufacturers using base 10 as marketing and it stuck but that seems like an odd reason to upend everything.
only play from it. That said, not sure where the term "drive" comes
from because hard drives don't really go any where. Then again, where
are 3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all. So
KB vs KiB, etc
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10
years or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10 years
or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
I was under the impression, that your KB is still 1024 bytes, while the KiB is the decimalised version being 1000 bytes...
only play from it. That said, not sure where the term "drive" comes
from because hard drives don't really go any where. Then again, where are
3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all. So
I suspect... that hard drive is a throw back to them good old days when your HD was the size of a fridge and you had to install the platters in it. In a real sense you inserted platters into the drive mechanism. Probably hung on after the platters became integrated and the devices much smaller..
Just a linguistic pet peeve, similar to how some people say things like "could care less" or using the incorrect their/they're/there. :)
Then again, [why] are 3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all.
Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people online referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in, wondering whether they should add a "DVD player" to their new PC build). I feel like this is my new pet peeve.. A DVD player is a stand-alone device meant to play DVD movies on a TV; a PC optical drive is not a "player".
But I did a search online, and I saw at least one ad online for an external USB blu-ray drive with the word "player" in the description..
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're watching
a movie disc on your PC, it's the software that does the playing of the video. The optical drive is just reading the data, and you could also
be using the optical disc to install software, rip movies, etc., which
are activities that don't count as "playing" something.
Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people online referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in, wondering whether they should add a "DVD player" to their new PC build). I feel like this is my new pet peeve.. A DVD player is a stand-alone device meant to play DVD movies on a TV; a PC optical drive is not a "player".
But I did a search online, and I saw at least one ad online for an external USB blu-ray drive with the word "player" in the description..
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're watching
a movie disc on your PC, it's the software that does the playing of the video. The optical drive is just reading the data, and you could also
be using the optical disc to install software, rip movies, etc., which
are activities that don't count as "playing" something.
In a tangentially related "old man yells at cloud" issue:
KB vs KiB, etc
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10
years or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
I've heard people say it's the other way around.. KB is supposedly
supposed to be 1000 bytes and KiB is 1024.
Also, what is up with people calling them "Hard Drives", when they should be "Hard Disks", or better yet, "Winchesters".
Mortar M. wrote to Nightfox <=-
If it only plays discs, then it'a "player". If you can write to a
disc, then it's a "burner" or "writer". The term, "optical drive"
merely refers to the type of supported media.
Recently (within the last year or so), I've started to notice people onlin referring to a PC optical drive as a "player" (as in, wondering whether th on your PC, it's the software that does the playing of the video. The opt drive is just reading the data, and you could also be using the optical di to
install software, rip movies, etc., which are activities that don't count "playing" something.
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a
"player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because
when you're watching
It totally bugs me when it's acceptable to call things what they
aren't!
telnet://bbs.roonsbbs.hu:1212 <<=-
Re: Re: Is a PC optical drive a "player"?
By: boraxman to Nightfox on Fri Apr 25 2025 13:35:04
Also, what is up with people calling them "Hard Drives", when they shou "Hard Disks", or better yet, "Winchesters".
Right, that wouldn't be confusing at all. "Hey, hand me that winchester...Not the gun, idiot, the hard drive!"
Also, what is up with people calling them "Hard Drives", when they should be "Hard Disks", or better yet, "Winchesters".
Back in the 90s, i had a 386 machine, which had a CDROM... that device was only to use with the PC and read data or music. To listen music from an audio CD, you needed to power on the PC and use some software to play the audio...
...but somewhere in the mid or late 90s some CDROM devices appeared that could also play audio CDs by them selves. They had a Play/Pause button and an audio jack, that you could connect to headphones or speakers and listen music. They only needed power to be used. Of course they could also be used as a normal PC device to read data from the PC.
I think you mean those devices :)
It totally bugs me when it's acceptable to call things what they aren't!
like calling something 'milk' when it's not coming from a mammal? :)
StormTrooper wrote to Nigel Reed <=-
only play from it. That said, not sure where the term "drive" comes
from because hard drives don't really go any where. Then again, where
are 3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all. So
I suspect... that hard drive is a throw back to them good old days when your HD was the size of a fridge and you had to install the platters in it. In a real sense you inserted platters into the drive mechanism. Probably hung on after the platters became integrated and the devices
much smaller..
boraxman wrote to Nightfox <=-
Also, what is up with people calling them "Hard Drives", when they
should be "Hard Disks", or better yet, "Winchesters".
xqtr wrote to Nightfox <=-
Back in the 90s, i had a 386 machine, which had a CDROM... that device
was only to use with the PC and read data or music. To listen music
from an audio CD, you needed to power on the PC and use some software
to play the audio...
Roon wrote to phigan <=-
like calling something 'milk' when it's not coming from a mammal? :)
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because when you're watching
a movie disc on your PC, it's the software that does the playing of the video. The optical drive is just reading the data, and you could also
be using the optical disc to install software, rip movies, etc., which
are activities that don't count as "playing" something.
only play from it. That said, not sure where the term "drive" comes
from because hard drives don't really go any where. Then again, where
Ed Vance wrote to Mortar M. <=-
Speaking of the media being flexible.
When the Zip Drive began selling I wasn't wanting to buy one of them because a couple years earlier I saw a 40MB SyQuest removable disk hard drive had Metal media inside its plastic case.
The Zip Drive media was flexible as Flopoies are.
SyQuest staered advertising that they were going to make a EZ-135 Drive and I waited until they sold it and got one because the media was metal just like the platter in a HDD is .
SyQuest went out of business shortly later.
I WILL NOT use the term "kibibyte" or "mebibyte". Refuse to.
Don't change convention.
like calling something 'milk' when it's not coming from a mammal? :)
I like that the popular protein drink "MUSCLE MILK" has to say in small print, CONTAINS NO MILK.
Quoting Mortar M. to Nigel Reed <=-
Then again, [why] are 3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all.
Depends on your perspective. True, the outer shell isn't floppy, but
the actual media is.
Quoting Roon to Phigan <=-
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a
"player"? I feel like that's not even really accurate, because
when you're watching
It totally bugs me when it's acceptable to call things what they
aren't!
like calling something 'milk' when it's not coming from a mammal? :)
Quoting Nightfox to Roon <=-
Re: Is a PC optical drive a "player"?
By: Roon to phigan on Fri Apr 25 2025 02:01 pm
It totally bugs me when it's acceptable to call things what they aren't!
like calling something 'milk' when it's not coming from a mammal? :)
Yeah.. How exactly do you milk an almond? :P
Floppies used to be floppy - especially the 8" variety. 5 1/4" were minifloppies, and 3 1/2" were microfloppies. Would that make a USB stick
a nanoflopppy?
Back in the 90s, i had a 386 machine, which had a CDROM... that device
was only to use with the PC and read data or music. To listen music from an audio CD, you needed to power on the PC and use some software to play the audio...
Also, what is up with people calling them "Hard Drives", when they sh
be "Hard Disks", or better yet, "Winchesters".
Doesn't "disk" refer to the actual round platter(s) inside it? I always thought it was called a "drive" because it's a device that drives the motion of the disks, similar to how a screwdriver is used to "drive" the screw into the wood by turning it.
Also I've never heard the term "Winchester" for a storage device..?
Yeah.. How exactly do you milk an almond? :P
The Zip Drive is mostly dead, failed, but the SyQuest drive and Disks mostly work.
When the Zip Drive began selling I wasn't wanting to buy one of them because a couple years earlier I saw a 40MB SyQuest removable disk hard drive had Metal media inside its plastic case.
SyQuest staered advertising that they were going to make a EZ-135 Drive and I waited until they sold it and got one because the media was metal just like the platter in a HDD is .
SyQuest went out of business shortly later. Ed
Adept wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Salt Sense - Advertises that it contains something like 1/3rd less salt per teaspoon. Given that the contents are over 99% salt, just like with any other salt, they get this by making the granules bigger, thus increasing the amount of air included in a teaspoon.
So, if you want the exact same effect with table salt inside of a dish, you included 1/3rd less, and it's exactly the same. Or you could just
use kosher salt instead, and already be somewhere around there.
Quoting Nightfox to Ed Vance <=-
Re: Got Floppy?
I thought the late 90s was an interesting time with all those
different removable media formats being released - especilly with 2 different ones from the same company (Syquest's Sparq and the 440MB
one you mentioned).
StormTrooper wrote to Nightfox <=-
Doesn't "disk" refer to the actual round platter(s) inside it? I always thought it was called a "drive" because it's a device that drives the motion of the disks, similar to how a screwdriver is used to "drive" the screw into the wood by turning it.
My wife always buys whipped cream cheese. I don't like paying for AIR.
Oh, isn't this the CONSPIRACY echo?
Seagate's moved their headquarters long ago, but the buildings are still there. The address? 1 Disk Drive, Scotts Valley, CA.
I wonder how many companies have an
Also I've never heard the term "Winchester" for a storage device..?
telnet://bbs.roonsbbs.hu:1212 <<=-
Also I've never heard the term "Winchester" for a storage device..?
i'm still using winchester, when referring to a HDD in a hungarian conversation :)
Re: Is a PC optical drive a "player"?
By: Roon to Nightfox on Mon Apr 28 2025 08:43 pm
Also I've never heard the term "Winchester" for a storage device..?
i'm still using winchester, when referring to a HDD in a hungarian conversation :)
Winchester drives are drives with sealed platters/heads. Made for a quantum reduction in size. Imagine if in the present day we had to
create old-tech gigabyte drives with removeable disk packs, a gig the
size of a washing machine?
In a tangentially related "old man yells at cloud" issue:
KB vs KiB, etc
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10 years or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
I WILL NOT use the term "kibibyte" or "mebibyte". Refuse to.
Don't change convention.
I've never referred to them that way. Only way it's a player is if it's a standalone device. Stuff like a walkman, CD player, DVD/BD player, stuff like that. Otherwise it's just a drive. I don't call my old PS2's disc tray a DVD player.
Depends on your perspective. True, the outer shell isn't floppy, but the actual media is.i love my 5.25" 13cm DISKS! those are PEAK COOL!
Floppies used to be floppy - especially the 8" variety. 5 1/4" were minifloppies, and 3 1/2" were microfloppies. Would that make a USB stick
a nanoflopppy?
They're hard on the outside and floppy in the innards! 5 1/2" disks are
floppy on the inside and the outside. And one more thing, stationary
mice have bigger balls.
Technology is like a river...
8 inch, 5.25 inch, 3.5 inch, single sided, double sided, low density,
high density...
It's like floating down a river, once you pass that dock there's no
going back. Unless, like me you stop there and are happy with the
place. My 386 has both 5.25 and 3.5 inch drives. Until they quit
working, I'm happy with them.
Quoting Mary4 to Cougar428 <=-
They're hard on the outside and floppy in the innards! 5 1/2" disks are
floppy on the inside and the outside. And one more thing, stationary
mice have bigger balls.
LMAO XD
this is too funny!
Quoting Mary4 to Cougar428 <=-
Technology is like a river...
8 inch, 5.25 inch, 3.5 inch, single sided, double sided, low density,
high density...
It's like floating down a river, once you pass that dock there's no
going back. Unless, like me you stop there and are happy with the
place. My 386 has both 5.25 and 3.5 inch drives. Until they quit
working, I'm happy with them.
i love my working disks and drives too!
Depends on your perspective. True, the outer shell isn't floppy, but the actual media is.i love my 5.25" 13cm DISKS! those are PEAK COOL!
Quoting Mary4 to Cougar428 <=-
Technology is like a river...
8 inch, 5.25 inch, 3.5 inch, single sided, double sided, low density,
high density...
It's like floating down a river, once you pass that dock there's no
going back. Unless, like me you stop there and are happy with the
place. My 386 has both 5.25 and 3.5 inch drives. Until they quit
working, I'm happy with them.
i love my working disks and drives too!
I guess we're part of an exclusive club!
I know there are better and more efficient ways to store and use data,
but this tech is what I know and grew on. Yeah, I do have newer systems
but my old ones keep on churning data for me.
Have a great day!
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"?
Do you think it's acceptable to call a PC optical drive a "player"?
No. But even more to the point, PC optical drives are unacceptable! My last few desktop builds don't have 'em, my laptops don't have 'em. I really hope nobody ever hands me a CD or DVD disc again because I won't have a handy way to read it (though yes, I do own some USB optical drives... somewhere).
So it's understandable that people don't know what they're called because you don't really see/use them any longer! :-)
If it's DVD-ROM or CD-ROM then yes, it would be a player since you can
only play from it.
That said, not sure where the term "drive" comes
from because hard drives don't really go any where.
Then again, where
are 3 1/2" disks called floppies because they're not floppy at all.
So many conundrums when it comes to computer hardware.
In a tangentially related "old man yells at cloud" issue:
KB vs KiB, etc
For a good portion of my life I remember KB=1024 bytes. The past 10 years or so, its now KB bytes and a KiB is 1024 bytes.
I've come to terms with the change but I don't really like it.
At work, the legacy system I work on refers to storage in base 2 so a KB=1024 but interacts with newer services that are base 10 where KB=1000 so there's a headache of conversions.
Anyway, I don't really understand why that all changed. I've heard people mention HDD storage manufacturers using base 10 as marketing and it stuck but that seems like an odd reason to upend everything.
...that's the end of my rant on that. I'm probably wrong so take it with a grain of salt. lol
They're great, but i'm a 3.5" inch enjoyer... Peak floppy.i can respect that! <3
Hey Nightfox!
On Thu, Apr 24 2025 20:02:53 -0500, you wrote:
I've heard people say it's the other way around.. KB is supposedly supposed to be 1000 bytes and KiB is 1024.
FYI, in a quick duckduckgo search.. my first two results conflict each other.
1st result:
Kibibyte = 1
Kilobyte = 1.024
2nd result:
1 kB = 1000 bytes; 1 KiB = 1024 bytes
Nightfox wrote to Digital Man <=-
I've been seeing more and more posts online recently where people have said they've gotten back to buying (or started buying) physical media because they're frustrated with streaming services removing things &
such.
Digital Man wrote to slacker <=-
etc.) is that solution. It'd been better if we could go back in time
and not use K=1024 to begin with, but oh well. Here we are.
jimmylogan wrote to Nightfox <=-
You'd buy a record and have to go through the trouble of
playing it - so you didn't just skip to the next one, etc.
I've been seeing more and more posts online recently where people have
said they've gotten back to buying (or started buying) physical media
because they're frustrated with streaming services removing things &
such.
A buddy of mine was telling me today about a book he found called "Revenge of Analog." It's about the cultural shift of buying physical media.
We talked about back in the day when you'd see a comic on the shelf / spinner rack and that's how you learned about it!
You'd buy a record and have to go through the trouble of playing it - so you didn't just skip to the next one, etc.
Quoting Boraxman to Cougar428 <=-
I've got two systems which have both a HD 3.5" and 5.25" drives, plus
an additional one or two of each in other machines. Heaps of disks,
but I'm reluctant to use them as they need to be treated with care are
are appraoching an age were reading them can just cause damage. -!-
In a few million years, maybe we'll grow 2 extra thumbs and get rid of
base 10. Sure would help my phone typing...
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