Format CDRW disks?

dave dave at rodrig.com
Tue Jan 4 16:32:54 UTC 2005


Ari Torhamo wrote:
> ti, 2005-01-04 kello 08:10 -0500, dave kirjoitti:
> 
>>Doubletwist wrote:
>>
>>>Ari Torhamo wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>It's great that people help and send instructions to do this in the CLI,
>>>>but I don't know which I would hate to do more - tell a Windows user who
>>>>I'm in a process of "converting" to Ubuntu to go back to Windows to
>>>>blank he's/her's CD-RWs or mail him
>>>>
>>>>$ sudo umount /dev/cdrom
>>>>$ cdrecord dev=/dev/cdrom blank=all
>>>>
>>>>and say "I now you just want to write to your CD-RWs, but if you just
>>>>would open a thing called terminal - you'll find it in the...
>>>>
>>>>Regards,
>>>>
>>>>Ari
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I agree here. This is one of the things that keeps me from using Ubuntu 
>>>myself. Yes I know I can install K3b, but since the point of Ubuntu is 
>>>to have a cohesive interface, for which the developers have chosen 
>>>Gnome, I will hold off on  using Ubuntu for my main desktop until it all 
>>>works properly.
>>>I really wish I could program something more complicated than "hello 
>>>world", because I'd LOVE to be able to fix things like this.
>>>
>>>In the meantime, I will just say that Ubuntu is making great headway, 
>>>but things like this are what is keeping it from being a great 
>>>Windows->Linux conversion tool.
>>>
>>>DT
>>>
>>>PS. Don't get me wrong, I like Ubuntu and where it's headed. But it's 
>>>not there yet. :)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>But what did the OP want to do with the CDRW once he'd blanked it? I 
>>assume he planned to write some files to it from the same machine. Or 
>>did he want a blank cdrw as the result (meaning he didn't want to write 
>>files to it afterward)??
>>
>>Nautilus blanks the cdrw automatically. Admittedly, it doesn't have a 
>>"Blank CDRW" button, but I've never had to *only* blank a cd, I've 
>>always blanked and written in the same operation.
>>
>>Or am I missing something?
>>
>>Dave
> 
> 
> One obvious reason is security: I may have disks that contain sensitive
> data that I don't need anymore, but which I still cannot risk someone
> else to see accidentally. It would be waste to destroy the disk, so I
> blank the disk. It's also a simple extra precausion against
> inadvertently writing on a disk that has important data on it. If I
> always blank disks that can be used for writing again, I notice when
> computer starts to read a disk that has content in it and perhaps avoid
> serious damage.
> 
> Ari
> 
> 

To which I would reply: Encrypt your files before burning them to CD. 
But that's another discussion.

In any case, that doesn't seem to be how this discussion began. I 
thought we were discussing your not wanting to tell a windows user 
"Nautilus doesn't do that, use Windows or cdrecord to blank CDs".

Someone then responded in agreement, going so far as to say "Yes I know 
I can install K3b, but since the point of Ubuntu is to have a cohesive 
interface, for which the developers have chosen Gnome, I will hold off 
on  using Ubuntu for my main desktop until it all works properly."

I'm only saying that, in this regard, it does work properly. You're 
commenting on a non-issue, I'm just pointing it out.

If I misunderstood, I apologize. I just wanted to be sure you all 
understood that Nautilus does blank CDs.

Dave




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