Compact disc with read-only memory; a non-interactive cd which is the platform for almost all offline electronic publishing.
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to a computer. CD-ROMs are popularly used to distribute computer software, including video games and multimedia applications, though any data that will fit on a 700 MB CD-ROM may be distributed on CD-ROMs.
CD-ROMs are identical in appearance to audio CDs, and data is stored and retrieved in a very similar manner. CD-ROMs, however, are not audio CDs and cannot be played on a CD player.
There are a number of differences between CD-ROMs and audio CDs. CD-ROMs are designed to store much more data than audio CDs. The pits on a CD-ROM are packed more tightly together than on an audio CD, so a CD-ROM can store about 3.5 times as much data as an audio CD can.
In addition, CD-ROMs use a different format for storing data than audio CDs. Audio CDs store data in uncompressed form, which means that they take up more space on the disc than CD-ROMs. CD-ROMs store data in compressed form, which makes them more efficient in terms of space.
Finally, CD-ROMs are read by computers, not by people. Audio CDs are designed to be played on CD players, which convert the data on the disc into audio signals that can be amplified and played through speakers.
CD-ROMs are used for a variety of purposes, the most common of which is to distribute software. When you buy a software program on a CD-ROM, the CD-ROM usually contains all of the files necessary to install and run the program on your computer.
Another common use for CD-ROMs is to distribute multimedia applications. These applications often combine audio, video, and text, and they may be interactive. For example, many educational CD-ROMs are available that allow children to learn about a particular subject by playing games and answering questions.
CD-ROMs are also popular for storing and distributing large amounts of data. For example, many companies use CD-ROMs to store their product catalogs. This is much more efficient than storing the catalogs in paper form, and it allows the companies to distribute the catalogs to their customers on CD-ROMs.
Finally, CD-ROMs are often used to store and distribute software that is too large to fit on a floppy disk. For example