I say disc, you say disk...

toMACsh · toMACsh #1 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 02:18 PM

Which is correct? ...both? ...only one, all the time?

Is your OS CD/DVD
...a gray disc?
...a gray disk?
...or, is it grey?

Is your hard drive
...a disc?
...a disk?
Am I driving you crazy yet?

What about
...a floppy disc?
...or floppy disk?
Does it matter?

Let the discussion begin...

D3v1L80Y · D3v1L80Y #2 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toMACsh

Which is correct?

Okay.

Quote:

Is your OS CD/DVD
...a gray disc?
...a gray disk?

Disc.

Quote:

Is your hard drive
...a disc?
...a disk?

Disk.

Quote:

What about
...a floppy disc?
...or floppy disk?

Disk.

Quote:

Does it matter?

Yes, it does.

Quote:

Let the discussion begin...

No need for a discussion when there is a definitive answer.

What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"

Oh, and it's "gray" if you're American and "grey" if you're English.

DarkestRitual · DarkestRitual #3 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 03:28 PM

I'm American, but I still have enough class to spell grey the correct way. Also I spell colour with a u.

Also, good work on the disc vs disk. If it's magnetic, it's a disk. If it's optical, it's a disc.

harryb2448 · harryb2448 #4 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 04:05 PM

Disc with a 'c' is optical media such as the CD/DVD discs, whilst disk with a 'k' is the hard drive disk. For the doubtful read this link from Apple:-

What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"

D3v1L80Y · D3v1L80Y #5 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harryb2448

Disc with a 'c' is optical media such as the CD/DVD discs, whilst disk with a 'k' is the hard drive disk. For the doubtful read this link from Apple:-

What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"

Yep, that is a handy link.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

No need for a discussion when there is a definitive answer.

What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"

bobtomay · bobtomay #6 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 04:15 PM

harry was just backin' ya up there

Mac23 · Mac23 #7 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkestRitual

I'm American, but I still have enough class to spell grey the correct way. Also I spell colour with a u.

Also, good work on the disc vs disk. If it's magnetic, it's a disk. If it's optical, it's a disc.

Oh please.

toMACsh · toMACsh #8 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 05:12 PM

Yeah, I figured someone would cut to the chase and spill the beans. (or is it beanes?)
Oh well, no fun it that.

Kash · Kash #9 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 06:22 PM

An easy way to remember is that the "c" in disc is curved, much like a CD or DVD. Once you know which one a disc is, it's easy to deduce that a hard drive would be the other one.

cwa107 · cwa107 #10 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 09:59 PM

I always thought that "disc" referred to the shape of optical media, whereas disk was a shortened form of "diskette". Of course, that doesn't account for "hard disk". I wonder what the actual origin of the word "disk" is.

The local newspaper used to run a regular column by an automotive journalist, and it used to drive me nuts when he referred to disc brakes as "disk brakes". I was even tempted to write him, now I'm glad I didn't. Apparently there is a completely arbitrary designation for certain disc-shaped objects.

Mac SK · Mac SK #11 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 10:16 PM

A Toast user's guide from 1997 says Discs.

cuhnool · cuhnool #12 (**permalink**)

12-08-2009, 11:36 PM

huh... I never payed attention to this difference.

Learned something new here,

DarkestRitual · DarkestRitual #13 (**permalink**)

12-09-2009, 01:39 AM

Well, laser disc movies and compact discs existed long before that 1997 toast manual. :-P And CWA, I'd imagine diskette was a lengthened version of disk, not the other way around? Then again, who knows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac23

Oh please.

You're right. God forbid I uphold some sort of continuity with the language that I choose to speak in.

the8thark · the8thark #14 (**permalink**)

12-09-2009, 06:58 AM

D3v1L80Y answered this quite definitavely. I'm surprised the Moderaters have not closed this already.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

Oh, and it's "gray" if you're American and "grey" if you're English.

English or Australian

vansmith · vansmith #15 (**permalink**)

12-09-2009, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the8thark

English or Australian

...or Canadian

.

Without actually knowing the semantics behind with word disk/c, I always tended to use disc for optical media and disk for hard disks. I've just always see it spelled that way so had assumed it wasn't even an issue.

bobtomay #6 (permalink)
Member Since: Dec 22, 2006 Location: Texas, where else? Posts: 21,809 Mac Specs: 15" MBP 2.33 C2D 256 4GB, MBA 13" i7 1.8, MB 2.0 2GB, Nano 4th, 3GS, iPad 1	12-08-2009, 04:15 PM harry was just backin' ya up there I cannot be held responsible for the things that come out of my mouth. In the Windows world, most everything folks don't understand is called a virus. Place your vote for our Member of the Month
	QUOTE Thanks

Kash #9 (permalink)
Member Since: Dec 03, 2006 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 9,385 Mac Specs: Black Macbook C2D 2GHz 3GB RAM 250GB HD iPhone 4 iPad 3G	12-08-2009, 06:22 PM An easy way to remember is that the "c" in disc is curved, much like a CD or DVD. Once you know which one a disc is, it's easy to deduce that a hard drive would be the other one. June 2007 July 2009
	QUOTE Thanks

cwa107 #10 (permalink)
Member Since: Dec 20, 2006 Location: Middletown, Pennsylvania Posts: 25,917 Mac Specs: 15" MBP, Core i7/2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB Crucial M4 SSD	12-08-2009, 09:59 PM I always thought that "disc" referred to the shape of optical media, whereas disk was a shortened form of "diskette". Of course, that doesn't account for "hard disk". I wonder what the actual origin of the word "disk" is. The local newspaper used to run a regular column by an automotive journalist, and it used to drive me nuts when he referred to disc brakes as "disk brakes". I was even tempted to write him, now I'm glad I didn't. Apparently there is a completely arbitrary designation for certain disc-shaped objects. Liquid and computers don't mix. It might seem simple, but we see an incredible amount of people post here about spills. Keep drinks and other liquids away from your expensive electronics!
	QUOTE Thanks

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toMACsh #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Jul 30, 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 4,807 Mac Specs: Mac Mini Core 2 Duo	12-08-2009, 02:18 PM Which is correct? ...both? ...only one, all the time? Is your OS CD/DVD ...a gray disc? ...a gray disk? ...or, is it grey? Is your hard drive ...a disc? ...a disk? Am I driving you crazy yet? What about ...a floppy disc? ...or floppy disk? Does it matter? Let the discussion begin...
	QUOTE Thanks

harryb2448 #4 (permalink)
Member Since: Nov 28, 2007 Location: Nambucca Heads Australia Posts: 14,080 Mac Specs: iMac i5 2.7GHz OS X.8.3	12-08-2009, 04:05 PM Disc with a 'c' is optical media such as the CD/DVD discs, whilst disk with a 'k' is the hard drive disk. For the doubtful read this link from Apple:- What's the difference between a "disc" and a "disk?"
	QUOTE Thanks

toMACsh #8 (permalink)
Member Since: Jul 30, 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 4,807 Mac Specs: Mac Mini Core 2 Duo	12-08-2009, 05:12 PM Yeah, I figured someone would cut to the chase and spill the beans. (or is it beanes?) Oh well, no fun it that.
	QUOTE Thanks

Mac SK #11 (permalink)
Member Since: Oct 20, 2006 Posts: 1,483	12-08-2009, 10:16 PM A Toast user's guide from 1997 says Discs.
	QUOTE Thanks

cuhnool #12 (permalink)
Member Since: Jun 02, 2008 Location: Louisville Posts: 1,502 Mac Specs: MacBook 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo \| 1GB RAM \| OS X 10.6.3 \| 250GB External HD \| 8GB iPod Touch 1st Gen 3.1.3	12-08-2009, 11:36 PM huh... I never payed attention to this difference. Learned something new here,
	QUOTE Thanks

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