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Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:33:59 +0100
From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To: Arthur Chance <freebsd@qeng-ho.org>
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Subject: Re: WD External Disc Drive
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On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:07:45 +0000, Arthur Chance <freebsd@qeng-ho.org> wrote:
> The distinction you make is one 
> I've not come across before, and I've worked with computers for nearly 
> 40 years.

This specific differentiation is common at least in Germany.
We handle foreign words quite differently, for example we
call a mobile phone a "Handy". :-)

The FreeBSD handbook is a good example.
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/install-start.html

Here, "disk" seems to refer to hard disks, while "disc"
refers to exchangable media. Both words can be found in
the document.



> I think it's better to simply qualify dis[ck] with an 
> adjective to disambiguate as necessary and accept that the US had a 
> spelling reform that the UK didn't so both forms are valid and 
> interchangeable.

In most cases, it is done that way, e. g. "floppy disk" or
"hard disk".




> See also: program v. programme, colour v. color, etc. :-)

I see that you are working in a computor centre. :-)



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...