Jeff Dowsley ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
: > [log in to unmask] wrote:
: > : Ken wrote:
: > : > ECS.MK46:file foo,new;dev=disk
: > : >
: > : > Unknown device class. (CIERR 344)
: >
: >etc.
 
: As a speaker of fluent Oz, "disc" was the only spelling used as I grew up
post
:  WWII.  When disk
: appeared in publications (originally referring to vinyl records (remember
:  them?)) we assumed it was
: Americans revising English as per the advertising houses ie night became
nite,
:  bright became brite.
 
I believe the source of the word "disk" is as a shortened form of
"diskette". Originally, it applied only to 8" floppies and the spawns
thereof.
 
I seem to recall (though I may be wrong) that the IBM mainframe world still
uses "disc". The near-universal use of the word "disk" to refer to all
types of rotational, flat, round data storage devices comes from the
PC world - yet another evil that they must answer for!
 
- Bill
--
Bill Sutton                        ++       So many songs,
   ([log in to unmask])        ++       So little beer.
 
HP pays me to talk about datacomm. Everything else I do on my own.