Fragilility of CDs {was :V3R7 -> V4R3 upgrade}

Neil Palmer wrote:
 
> And always wipe the CD's in a straight line from centre to outside
> edge - not in a circular motion !


Neil, 

This directive for cleaning CDs, reminded me of the time the BBC, in their
'Tomorrow's World' TV show, showed a preview of the Compact Disc technology,
when the electronics company Philips first announced the technology.

::::: rewind several years :::::

The entire segment in the TV show tried to show how 'robust' the CD medium
would be. The presenter took the CD out of the (very large, at the time ;-)
player and waffled on how there wasn't any surface 'groves', as with vinyl
records, and so the CD could be handled as 'roughly' as you wanted. He then
took this to the extreme, by coating the CD in jam, made a half attempt at
cleaning it (i.e. there was still jam on the CD), popped it back into the
player and the CD continued to play with no noticeable problems, because of the
fact that the laser focuses underneath the external surface.

[BTW: 'Tomorrow's World' was known for real life demonstrations on TV, and at
the time, this show used to go out live - so it wasn't a smoke & mirrors
demonstration]

::::: back to the present day :::::

Now we have to live with CDs that can lose the information after a number of
years; CDs that you have to clean - as if they were vinyl records; CDs that
jitter if there is surface scratches on them; CD players that can't cope
equally with different manufactured CDs....

Whatever happened to the technology...

--phil.

-- 
Phil Hall
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