spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Alan Chandler]

I accidentally built my 2.4.1 kernel with /devfs so had a interesting
few minutes looking round it to see what it was doing.

The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
is the right name for these devices.

I now find myself confused with the new approach.


Alan

alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk
http://www.chandler.u-net.com
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[List User]

If it's any consolation from (this American) I'm glad it's 'disc' (always
thought that 'disk' was just for those marketing dweebs who couldn't spell
right
in the first place).

Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Chandler" <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>
To: <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 18:19
Subject: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs


> I accidentally built my 2.4.1 kernel with /devfs so had a interesting
> few minutes looking round it to see what it was doing.
>
> The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> is the right name for these devices.
>
> I now find myself confused with the new approach.
>
>
> Alan
>
> alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk
> http://www.chandler.u-net.com
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
>

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[idalton]

On Wed, Jan 31, 2001 at 06:35:30PM -0600, List User wrote:
> If it's any consolation from (this American) I'm glad it's 'disc' (always
> thought that 'disk' was just for those marketing dweebs who couldn't spell
> right
> in the first place).

And in terms of casual usage, I've nearly always used 'disk' in
reference to media that can be mounted read-write, and 'disc' to media
that can only be mounted read-only.

More technically, 'disc' is a single media layer (usually a CD-ROM) and
'disk' is a removable media device with a protective casing.

Non-removable storage are generally refered to as 'drives'.

Yes, it's confusing.

-- Ferret

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alan Chandler" <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>
> To: <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 18:19
> Subject: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs
> 
> 
> > I accidentally built my 2.4.1 kernel with /devfs so had a interesting
> > few minutes looking round it to see what it was doing.
> >
> > The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> > an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> > but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> > is the right name for these devices.
> >
> > I now find myself confused with the new approach.
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[alex]

On Thu, Feb 01, 2001 at 10:27:48AM -0800, idalton@ferret.phonewave.net wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 31, 2001 at 06:35:30PM -0600, List User wrote:
> > If it's any consolation from (this American) I'm glad it's 'disc' (always
> > thought that 'disk' was just for those marketing dweebs who couldn't spell
> > right
> > in the first place).
> 
> And in terms of casual usage, I've nearly always used 'disk' in
> reference to media that can be mounted read-write, and 'disc' to media
> that can only be mounted read-only.

This seems like a pretty arbitrary distinction, really, but:

> More technically, 'disc' is a single media layer (usually a CD-ROM) and
> 'disk' is a removable media device with a protective casing.

This is closer to making some logical sense, but you have to be careful about 
your terms:  DVDs, for example, can have up to four media layers on one disc.

As a genuine anglophile, I have a good sympathy for the expressed preferences 
toward more british spellings (I have been known from time to time to put "u"s 
in words my american comerades did not approve of), however I have always 
considered "disk" to be a technical term, much as "byte", with a reasonably 
well defined meaning and spelling, outside of any particular variant of the 
english language.

In particular, a "disk" is a rotating digital recording medium used by 
computers.  A "disc" is a flat, round object.  CDs and DVDs, therefore, are 
disks which also happen to be discs, but one describes their function, and the 
other describes their shape.  Floppies, on the other hand, are disks, but are 
arguably not discs (they're rectangular.  They may have discs buried inside 
them, but that's not what people generally refer to when they refer to 
floppies)

I think this distinction becomes particularly important when one gets into 
non-removable media such as hard drives.  These drives are "disks" which 
contain several "discs" inside them (several platters).  When one refers to a 
hard disk, one is referring to the whole assembly, not to just one disc 
(platter).

In any case, all of that having been said, I do think this is a rather trivial 
thing to be arguing about, and personally I can live with it either way.  The 
one thing I would like to point out is that "disk" is the standard industry 
convention, and thus if anything I think it should have more weight behind it 
solely because of that (it's good to be consistent with what everybody else in 
the industry is doing, even if it is something as minor as spelling of terms.)

-alex
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Richard B. Johnson]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001 idalton@ferret.phonewave.net wrote:
[Snipped...]
> 
> And in terms of casual usage, I've nearly always used 'disk' in
> reference to media that can be mounted read-write, and 'disc' to media
> that can only be mounted read-only.
> 
> More technically, 'disc' is a single media layer (usually a CD-ROM) and
> 'disk' is a removable media device with a protective casing.
> 
> Non-removable storage are generally refered to as 'drives'.
> 

Webster says (but what did he know), that "disc" is an abbreviation
for "discount", a variation of "disk", or a "phonograph record".

Disk is even more obscure, It relates to plowing and harrowing.
However buried in the text is a reference to "round flat plate coated
with a magnetic substance upon which data for a computer is stored"

Disque isn't listed, and the French Security Police had it
exterminated from the language when it started to show up on
boxes of "disquettes". Last I heard, their 'Disk' is roughly-
translated to "train in a box".

So, we should call them paradigms ;^.

Cheers,
Dick Johnson

Penguin : Linux version 2.4.1 on an i686 machine (799.53 BogoMips).

"Memory is like gasoline. You use it up when you are running. Of
course you get it all back when you reboot..."; Actual explanation
obtained from the Micro$oft help desk.


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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Harald Arnesen]

"Richard B. Johnson" <root@chaos.analogic.com> writes:

> Webster says (but what did he know), that "disc" is an abbreviation
> for "discount", a variation of "disk", or a "phonograph record".

The "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English"
(1995 edition) says that a disc is:

(also esp US disk)
1. a flat, thin, round object, eg a coin (he wears an identity disc
   around his neck)
2. a round surface that appears to be flat (the moon's disc)
3. = record (recordings on disc and cassette) see also compact disc
4. = disk 2
5. (anatomy) a layer of cartilage between the bones of the spine

> Disk is even more obscure, It relates to plowing and harrowing.
> However buried in the text is a reference to "round flat plate coated
> with a magnetic substance upon which data for a computer is stored"

And a disk is:

1. (esp US) disc
2. (computing) a circular plate on which data can be recorded in a
   form that can be used by a computer
-- 
Harald Arnesen, Apalløkkveien 23 A, N-0956 Oslo, Norway
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Jeremy M. Dolan]

On Thu, 01 Feb 2001 00:19:56 +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> is the right name for these devices.

Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.

-- 
Jeremy M. Dolan <jmd@turbogeek.org>
Gates' Law: Every 18 months, the speed of software halves.
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Michael B. Trausch]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Jeremy M. Dolan wrote:
>
> On Thu, 01 Feb 2001 00:19:56 +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> > The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> > an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> > but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> > is the right name for these devices.
> 
> Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
> Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.
> 

Anymore, even I refer to everything as discs, I used to be hardcore in
establishing the difference between disks, discs, and diskettes.  However,
it's really useless, given that nobody even understands "diskette" in the
general public when I say it, I wind up explaining it.

	- Mike

===========================================================================
Michael B. Trausch                                    fd0man@crosswinds.net
Avid Linux User since April, '96!                           AIM:  ML100Smkr

              Contactable via IRC (DALNet) or AIM as ML100Smkr
===========================================================================

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Peter Samuelson]

[Jeremy M. Dolan]
> Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
> Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.

It wouldn't do any good.  Many months ago, Ted Ts'o pleaded with
Richard Gooch (devfs author, from Australia) to switch to the American
spelling of the word, for consistency with the rest of the kernel, and
nothing came of it.  At this point you may as well consider
'/dev/discs' an "interface set in stone".  (Come on, do *you* want to
explain to thousands of people why their /etc/fstab suddenly broke?)

Peter
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Alan Cox]

> Richard Gooch (devfs author, from Australia) to switch to the American
> spelling of the word, for consistency with the rest of the kernel, and

Pardon

include/linux/console_struct.h:	unsigned char   vc_palette[16*3];       /* Colour palette for VGA+ */
include/linux/dio.h:#define DIO_ID2_HRCCATSEYE  0x06 /* highres colour "catseye" */
include/linux/kd.h:#define GIO_CMAP	0x4B70	/* gets colour palette on VGA+ */
include/linux/kd.h:#define PIO_CMAP	0x4B71	/* sets colour palette on VGA+ */
include/linux/videodev.h:	__u16	colour;

etc..

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Peter Samuelson]

  [me]
> > Richard Gooch (devfs author, from Australia) to switch to the American
> > spelling of the word, for consistency with the rest of the kernel, and

[ac]
> Pardon
> 
> include/linux/console_struct.h:	unsigned char   vc_palette[16*3];       /* Colour palette for VGA+ */
> include/linux/dio.h:#define DIO_ID2_HRCCATSEYE  0x06 /* highres colour "catseye" */

Ted said it, not me.  FWIW I like 'your' spelling of many words
(including "colour") better than 'ours' anyway..

Peter
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Thomas Dodd]

Peter Samuelson wrote:
> 
> [Jeremy M. Dolan]
> > Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
> > Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.
> 
> It wouldn't do any good.  Many months ago, Ted Ts'o pleaded with
> Richard Gooch (devfs author, from Australia) to switch to the American
> spelling of the word, for consistency with the rest of the kernel, and
> nothing came of it.  At this point you may as well consider
> '/dev/discs' an "interface set in stone".  (Come on, do *you* want to
> explain to thousands of people why their /etc/fstab suddenly broke?)

Better still, follow the lead from other Solaris and HP-UX.

/dev/dsk/* block access for hard drives
/dev/rdsk/* char access for hard drives
/dev/diskette block access for floppy drives
/dev/rdiskette char access for floppy drives
/dev/rscsi/* char access for raw scsi (replace /dev/sg* )

Since linux currently doesn't have char access to drives,
rdsk/rdiskette would be ignored untill it is implemented
and needed.

My $0.02

	-Thomas
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Mike Castle]

On Thu, Feb 01, 2001 at 12:19:56AM +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> I now find myself confused with the new approach.

try "man -k disc" and compare the output with "man -k disk"

Since nearly all of the utilities refer to "disk" rather than "disc," it
would make more since to be consistent with that.

mrc
-- 
       Mike Castle       Life is like a clock:  You can work constantly
  dalgoda@ix.netcom.com  and be right all the time, or not work at all
www.netcom.com/~dalgoda/ and be right at least twice a day.  -- mrc
    We are all of us living in the shadow of Manhattan.  -- Watchmen
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Pekka Pietikainen]

On Thu, Feb 01, 2001 at 07:32:55PM -0800, Mike Castle wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 01, 2001 at 12:19:56AM +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> > I now find myself confused with the new approach.
> 
> try "man -k disc" and compare the output with "man -k disk"
> 
> Since nearly all of the utilities refer to "disk" rather than "disc," it
> would make more since to be consistent with that.

<sarcasm>
What we really need is the ability to 
echo en_US/en_GB > /proc/sys/kernel/locale so you can choose
the one you want.
</sarcasm>

-- 
Pekka Pietikainen
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[mirabilos]

Oh you English people,

why do you do it so complicated?
We even don't need a kernel locale.

Take the nominations as they are, color/colour,
disk/disc/diskette/floppy, etc.

And if you write by yourself, do it as you spell it.
I'd even write it German if I wasn't used to speak
fully English whilst coding.

And dont bother about names:
 - Namen sind Schall und Rauch. Was zaehlt, ist das, was drin ist.
(for tho who can understand it. the others: sorry, it's a cite.)

Does it _actually_ make a prob to use disc in devfs instead
of the (correct) disk when changing it broke configuration?
We are _not_ M$, we (usually) _dont_ break old systems.
And __colour does only matter when you directly access it.

Really, it's inconsistent, but it happened - so...
You could consider changing it on a two-year solution:
create a hardlink /dev/disks <-> /dev/discs in the KERNEL(!!)
and remove /dev/discs in two years.
Meanwhile everyone reading docu will have upgraded ;-)
(ref. to the 4-week pause before ECN on vger.kernel.org)

-mirabilos

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12+(proprietary extensions) # Updated:20010129 nick=mirabilos
GO/S d@ s--: a--- C++ UL++++ P--- L++$(-^lang) E----(joe) W+(++) loc=.de
N? o K? w-(+$) O+>+++ M-- V- PS+++@ PE(--) Y+ PGP t+ 5? X+ R+ !tv(silly)
b++++* DI- D+ G(>++) e(^age) h! r(-) y--(!y+) /* lang=NASM;GW-BASIC;C */
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------


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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[David Woodhouse]

pp@evil.netppl.fi said:
> <sarcasm>
> What we really need is the ability to  
> echo en_US/en_GB > /proc/sys/kernel/locale 
> so you can choose the one you want.
> </sarcasm>

Heh. But you don't need the explicit <sarcasm> tags in the en_GB version.

--
dwmw2


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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Dr. Kelsey Hudson]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Alan Chandler wrote:

> I accidentally built my 2.4.1 kernel with /devfs so had a interesting
> few minutes looking round it to see what it was doing.
> 
> The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> is the right name for these devices.
> 
> I now find myself confused with the new approach.

It had always been my assumption that non-optical storage media used the
'disk' spelling, whereas optical media, such as CDs, DVDs, and MO, were
reffered to using the 'disc' spelling.



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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Tony Hoyle]

Dr. Kelsey Hudson wrote:

> It had always been my assumption that non-optical storage media used the
> 'disk' spelling, whereas optical media, such as CDs, DVDs, and MO, were
> reffered to using the 'disc' spelling.
 
I can remember having this argument back in the days of the BBC Micro.  The
BBC is the only machine I have ever seen that used 'disc'...  In those days
I assumed it was correct.  Over time, I came to accept that we used 'disk' for
the same reasons we use 'program' rather than 'programme'.

I haven't heard anyone in the UK spell it 'disc' for years....

When I last tried devfs (around the 2.4.0test era - a short and painful experience, but
that's another story) I was confused by the use of 'disc'.  IMHO it should be changed,
because it's simply wrong, even in england (so please stop blaming us for it!).

Tony

-- 
"User DATA\tmh cannot be created because DATA\tmh does not exist."
Windows -- Great UI huh?

tmh@magenta-netlogic.com        http://www.nothing-on.tv

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Albert D. Cahalan]

> It had always been my assumption that non-optical storage media used
> the 'disk' spelling, whereas optical media, such as CDs, DVDs, and MO,
> were reffered to using the 'disc' spelling.

No, "disk" is correct for everything, but we use "disc" for a reason.

It is a non-word, which helps with trademark protection.
It is odd, so it catches attention. Companies operating
in the US have a habit of spelling words wrong whenever
possible.

To us, "disc" is like "cliq", "qwest", "thru", "raq"...

Real UNIX uses "dsk", but IBM's name ("dasd") makes more sense
for all the recent non-disk storage devices. The shape of the
device does not matter; what matters is that it is a Direct
Access Storage Device.

Using "disc" just sucks. I think the devfs author likes to
make the rest of the world suffer for some nationalistic
revenge. I and many others will forever curse the damn thing.


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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Rik van Riel]

On Sat, 10 Feb 2001, Albert D. Cahalan wrote:

> Using "disc" just sucks. I think the devfs author likes to
> make the rest of the world suffer for some nationalistic
> revenge. I and many others will forever curse the damn thing.

I and many others will never use the thing.

I know I'll NEVER get used to a /dev/disc and I don't have
any use for devfs, so why should I even bother ?

regards,

Rik
--
Linux MM bugzilla: http://linux-mm.org/bugzilla.shtml

Virtual memory is like a game you can't win;
However, without VM there's truly nothing to lose...

		http://www.surriel.com/
http://www.conectiva.com/	http://distro.conectiva.com/

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[John Cavan]

"Albert D. Cahalan" wrote:
> 
> > It had always been my assumption that non-optical storage media used
> > the 'disk' spelling, whereas optical media, such as CDs, DVDs, and MO,
> > were reffered to using the 'disc' spelling.
> 
> No, "disk" is correct for everything, but we use "disc" for a reason.

Because "disc" is the English way of spelling it. I find it refreshing
to have proper English show up in the industry, I'm getting tired of
typing "color"... :o)
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Wayne.Brown]

To confuse things even more, I have a "Hewlett-Packard 9114 Disc Drive," which
is really a 720K 3.5-inch diskette drive.

Wayne




"Michael B. Trausch" <fd0man@crosswinds.net> on 01/31/2001 05:00:34 PM

To:   "Jeremy M. Dolan" <jmd@foozle.turbogeek.org>
cc:   Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
      (bcc: Wayne Brown/Corporate/Altec)

Subject:  Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs



On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Jeremy M. Dolan wrote:
>
> On Thu, 01 Feb 2001 00:19:56 +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> > The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> > an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> > but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> > is the right name for these devices.
>
> Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
> Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.
>

Anymore, even I refer to everything as discs, I used to be hardcore in
establishing the difference between disks, discs, and diskettes.  However,
it's really useless, given that nobody even understands "diskette" in the
general public when I say it, I wind up explaining it.

     - Mike

===========================================================================
Michael B. Trausch                                    fd0man@crosswinds.net
Avid Linux User since April, '96!                           AIM:  ML100Smkr

              Contactable via IRC (DALNet) or AIM as ML100Smkr
===========================================================================

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Michael B. Trausch]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001 Wayne.Brown@altec.com wrote:
> 
> To confuse things even more, I have a "Hewlett-Packard 9114 Disc Drive," which
> is really a 720K 3.5-inch diskette drive.
> 
> Wayne
> 

Hrm..  hehehe, well, it may be confusing, but I've accepted the public's
unwillingness to use the real term.  I am pretty flexible when it comes to
how people address things and just go with the flow.  If it's disc in
Linux, let it just stay that way, 'cuz that's what I'll use.  Otherwise,
it'll break when things start to use disk.

	- Mike

===========================================================================
Michael B. Trausch                                    fd0man@crosswinds.net
Avid Linux User since April, '96!                           AIM:  ML100Smkr

              Contactable via IRC (DALNet) or AIM as ML100Smkr
===========================================================================

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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Mike Harrold]

> 
> 
> 
> To confuse things even more, I have a "Hewlett-Packard 9114 Disc Drive," which
> is really a 720K 3.5-inch diskette drive.
> 
> Wayne

My understanding (going back to the 80s) is that the correct term is
disc. "disk" is short for diskette. (discette would be pronounced as
"dissect" (think miscellaneous), so "diskette" was used instead.

So, when referring to a 3.5" or 5.25" floppy, "disk" would be correct
since they are diskettes. However, a "hard drive" is very much a disc
(or nowadays a group of discs). A "hard disc" would refer to one of
the constituents of a "hard drive".

Regards,

/Mike

> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Michael B. Trausch" <fd0man@crosswinds.net> on 01/31/2001 05:00:34 PM
> 
> To:   "Jeremy M. Dolan" <jmd@foozle.turbogeek.org>
> cc:   Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
>       (bcc: Wayne Brown/Corporate/Altec)
> 
> Subject:  Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Jeremy M. Dolan wrote:
> >
> > On Thu, 01 Feb 2001 00:19:56 +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
> > > The thing that struck me most was the spelling of disc with a 'c'.  As
> > > an Englishman this is the correct spelling for me most of the time,
> > > but I have come to accept "as a technical term" disk (as in American)
> > > is the right name for these devices.
> >
> > Disk is spelled 'disk' except for Compact Disc and Digital Versatile
> > Disc. If it wasn't 3:30 in the morning, a patch would be attached.
> >
> 
> Anymore, even I refer to everything as discs, I used to be hardcore in
> establishing the difference between disks, discs, and diskettes.  However,
> it's really useless, given that nobody even understands "diskette" in the
> general public when I say it, I wind up explaining it.
> 
>      - Mike
> 
> ===========================================================================
> Michael B. Trausch                                    fd0man@crosswinds.net
> Avid Linux User since April, '96!                           AIM:  ML100Smkr
> 
>               Contactable via IRC (DALNet) or AIM as ML100Smkr
> ===========================================================================
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: spelling of disc (disk) in /devfs

[Tor Arntsen]

Mike Harrold <mharrold@cas.org> writes:
>My understanding (going back to the 80s) is that the correct term is
>disc. "disk" is short for diskette. (discette would be pronounced as
>"dissect" (think miscellaneous), so "diskette" was used instead.

No, this isn't right.  "Disk" was used for hard disks.  "Diskette" is
a word that came later (pretty obvious too, as it's a diminutive variant
of "disk").  Ditto for "floppy disk".

>So, when referring to a 3.5" or 5.25" floppy, "disk" would be correct
>since they are diskettes. However, a "hard drive" is very much a disc
>(or nowadays a group of discs). A "hard disc" would refer to one of
>the constituents of a "hard drive".

I don't want to sound too harsh, but the speculation in that paragraph
is really picked out of thin air.

In short, "disk" is a term that simply means a computer hard disk, as
opposed to other kind of discs.  This is the only issue in non-English 
native speaking countries, most of us didn't even know that the difference
originated in UK/US spelling issues. That never entered the discussion,
particularly here in Europe. We were thought the UK spelling for discs
(the generic term), and we quickly grabbed the "disk" term for computer 
disks as a nice way of referring to that special kind of disc.

CDs are called 'discs' simply because they were not originally part of
the computer industry.  They were for recording music.

-Tor
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