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Ask Slashdot: Do You Still Use Optical Media?

Posted by msmash on from the what-do-you-do? dept.

The other day at an event, public relation officials were handing out press kit (it usually contains everything the company announced, photos from the event, and contact information of the company) to journalists. When I reached office and opened the kit, I found a CD in it. Which was weird because it's been two to three years since I had a computer with an optical drive. And all these years I didn't need one. Which brings up the question: Does your work require dealing with CDs and DVDs anymore? An anonymous reader asks the same question: I still use optical discs for various backup purposes, but recently I developed doubts as to the reliability of the media to last a reasonable amount of time. I have read a review on Amazon of the TDK DVDs, in which somebody described losing 8000 (sic!) DVDs of data after 4 years of storage. I promptly canceled my purchase of TDKs. So, do you still use opticals for back-up -- Blu-Rays, DVDs, CDs? -- and if so, how do you go about it?I do buy Blu-Ray discs of movies, though. So my life isn't optical disc free yet. What about yours?

9 of 385 comments (clear)

  1. Yes, Because Optical Media Is Durable by alternative_right · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I still keep optical drives on all of my machines. Not only do I need to rip CDs on occasion, but I like the durability of optical media. It can be filed away just about anywhere, resists moisture and static, and is a great cheap way to pass information on to others. I wish the recycling options were better.

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    Alternative Right.
    1. Re:Yes, Because Optical Media Is Durable by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I like the fact that once I have my CDs and DVDs they can't take-back the rights when I have physical media, and I don't have to worry about losing my media when I have a hard disk failure.

      In practice this is also true for Blu-Ray. If I remember what I read back when the Blu-ray standard was first released there was apparently a mechanism to invalidate Blu-ray discs, but I don't think it's been applied in-practice and you'd have to have a network-connected player that the vendor is still providing updates to for that to happen anyway.

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      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    2. Re:Yes, Because Optical Media Is Durable by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm no BD expert but I was under the impression that a 'kill list' can be present in media and there is no need to have a network connection to have things be invalidated (media and even equip!). simply by PLAYING a disc, you run the risk of having things that worked yesterday, not work today.

      I never bought a bd player by choice (one came with a laptop I had no choice in) and I won't support that standard. its evil to to the corp (SIC intended).

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      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    3. Re:Yes, Because Optical Media Is Durable by OtisSnerd · · Score: 5, Informative

      I have collected almost a thousand audio CDs over the past 25 years, and used to think the same thing. They served as masters for the digital copies I keep on my PC. Now I've discovered that a few of them are suffering from visible bit-rot, with the aluminum layer slowly being eaten / corroded in from the edge. It could be because I lived in a heavy urban area (Philly near I95) with lots of diesel exhaust until last year, but I've also taken very good care of them, keeping them in their cases and minimizing handling, but who knows how much longer they'll last.

  2. We burn a ton of DVD's every week by gurps_npc · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I work for a law firm. We need to send data out all the time. When possible we FTP it. But for many jobs we need permanent record, so we use a mix of DVD's and hard drives.

    For large jobs, we use Hard Drives. Anything less than 10 GB, we burn DVDs. We do it all the time.

    Also, while I don't buy laptops or tablets with DVD players, I insist on every Desktop computer I buy to have one.

    I will do so just for the ability to play my old movies and TV shows.

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    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:We burn a ton of DVD's every week by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but that's a LAW FIRM. You also use FAX on a daily basis.

  3. Yeah, unfortunately we do. by Dust038 · · Score: 5, Informative

    So as a member of a public institution of higher education, Flash drives are up there in the top 3 spots of how data goes missing/copied/stolen along with Email. We have the USB ports disabled except for the 1 or 2 for the Mouse and Keyboard and have those locked to not accept new devices to prevent data from going by the by. I state this because I still use CD/DVD Media for computer deployment under secure conditions where Mass deployment software like SCCM are not practical. Closed systems are the bane of my existence. Also being in user support you have to keep a CD/DVD or 2 around for that one user who will inevitably visit your office with a 6 year old laptop with failing HDD and the USB boot doesn't work and you are forced to recover them via CD/DVD.

  4. Linux ISO discs... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Creating a bootable USB stick under Windows is a hit-and-miss affair. I just find it easier to pop in a blank disc, burn the Linux ISO to the disc, and boot off of that.

  5. Re: Archival grade by sexconker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not all change is good. Much of the change we see is harmful to the language as it introduces ambiguity and causes confusion, which makes it harder for the language to do its only job - help people communicate.

    Languages are highly ordered systems. Retards like you are "literally" running about spouting off about doing things "ironically" and are, "for all intensive purposes", entropy endangering the system "irregardless" of your dumbass "language changes" excuse.