Compact disc with read-only memory; an interactive non-interactive CD that serves as the basis for almost all offline electronic publishing.
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc containing data accessible to computers. CDs are most often used to distribute computer software such as video games and multimedia applications; however, any data that fits onto one 700 MB CD may also be distributed using this method.
CD-ROMs resemble audio CDs in appearance and data storage and retrieval processes; however, CD-ROMs cannot be played on a CD player.
There are numerous differences between CD-ROMs and audio CDs. CD-ROMs are designed to store more data than audio CDs; their pits are packed more densely together than on an audio CD, thus enabling it to store roughly three and one-half times as much.
Also, CD-ROMs use a different method for storing their data than audio CDs do; audio CDs store information uncompressed, which requires more space on a disc than compressed formats of CD-ROMs; however, CD-ROMs compress their information, which makes them more space efficient than their counterparts.
Finally, CD-ROMs are read by computers rather than humans; audio CDs, on the other hand, are designed to be played using CD players that convert data onto the disc into sound signals that can be amplified and played back through speakers.
CD-ROMs serve many functions, the most prominent of which is distributing software programs. When purchasing software from a CD-ROM vendor, their CD usually contains all the files necessary to install and run the program on your computer.
Another use for CD-ROMs is to distribute multimedia applications. These multimedia applications typically combine audio, video, text, and interactivity; educational CD-ROMs offer interactive learning about specific subjects through games and questions that children can play to reinforce learning.
CD-ROMs are increasingly used as an efficient means of storing and disseminating large amounts of data, with many companies turning to CDs as their preferred method for catalog storage compared to paper formats such as catalogs. Companies can then distribute these catalogs directly to customers through CDs.
CD-ROMs are commonly used to store and distribute large software packages that cannot fit onto a floppy disk.