Date   : Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:42:26 -0000
From   : "David Hunt" <dm.hunt@...>
Subject: Re: Grammar

> Mike Tomlinson wrote:
> > No-one's yet commented on the usage of "disc" vs. "disk".  I was taught
> > that "disk" was the American English version, "disc" the British English
> > version, and that along the same lines of "program/programme", "disk"
> > should be used when referring to floppy discs.
> 
> I remember asking about that somewhere - possibly over on the classiccmp
> list.
>   From memory the *general* opinion was that disk was typically used for
> magnetic media and disc for optical - but there were quite a few
> contributers
> who consistently stuck with one or the other regardless of media type.
> 
> Even in Acorn's own documentation there seems to be no particular standard
> and
> spelling depends entirely on the author (although 'disc' is slightly more
> common)
> 
> Personally I much prefer disk, at least for magnetic media - disc always
> makes
> me think of lobbing the discus around at school sports days :-)
> 

The patent and trademark for both Compact Disc and Digital Versatile Disc
actually specify DISC in their names. Look at a CD and on the disc and or
case you'll see the Compact Disc Digital Audio mark. Because it is a
trademark and a patent there is only one spelling and it is with a C.

Notwithstanding, your discus example (I was rather good at field not so good
at track) we used to have floppy disc fights at school (dead discs of
course) throwing them at each other down the corridors, wow they didn't half
sting if you were unfortunate enough to receive a high velocity example to
the face!

Dave ;)