Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms: CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory)
CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory)
an optical disk like an audio compact disc, but containing computer data. Audio and computer CDs are physically the same; in fact, a single CD can contain both computer files and music. CD-ROMs can only be read, not recorded on, by the user's computer. CD-R and CD-RW are CD-ROM-compatible media that can be recorded on by the user.
CD-ROMs are a popular way to deliver digitized sound, images, and multimedia presentations that would be too bulky to put on ordinary diskettes. An entire encyclopedia or a collection of hundreds of pictures can fit on one disc.
