• [email protected]@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    See, I had a 6 cd rack for burning but I never learned why it was called burning. Every time I asked in irc, they said something to the effect of “head to the doctor, you should get that looked at.” Any kind lemming care to elucidate me?

    Edit: finally I can rest in peace (and go to the doctor)

    • ShenanigansMcGee@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      Sure! It’s called “burning a CD” because you are literally burning it. You are using a laser to burn or etch a texture into the CD that can be read by the lasers in other CD drives.

      Anyone more knowledgeable than me is more than welcome to add details and correct whatever I got wrong. I know the basic concept, but I’m no CD engineer.

    • ryven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 days ago

      Edit: The original explanation I had here was that a laser burns pits in the CD material but that was wrong, apparently only pressed discs use physical pits in the material. The laser used in a home CD burner changes the color of a photosensitive dye on a recordable CD. So I think actually “burning” is due to a misunderstanding (which I had until I just looked it up) of how a home CD writer works.

    • Laristal@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 days ago

      My understanding was that it had to do with the laser in the CD/DVD/bluray drive “burning” the data onto the disc.