Technology · 1

What compact disc format, widely adopted in the late 1990s, let users store up to 700 MB of data and became the standard way to install software and share music before broadband?

Answer

CD-ROM

The CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) became the dominant software distribution medium in the 1990s, holding up to 700 MB — enough for encyclopaedias, games, and operating systems. ISPs like AOL mailed millions of CD-ROMs to attract subscribers.

💡 Did you know?

AOL mailed so many free CD-ROMs throughout the 1990s that at one point the company estimated it had produced half of all the CD-ROMs ever manufactured worldwide.

Other options people guess

  • LaserDisc
  • MiniDisc
  • DVD-ROM

Topics

  • cd-rom
  • 1990s
  • storage
  • software

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