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drives. These portable storage devices are small but can hold as much as 60 GB of data, programs, and
so on. They allow the user to carry files in a briefcase or pocket, or store them off-site.
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
In the 1990s, an increasing amount of data and applications was being supplied on compact disk (CD)
technology, which can store large amounts of data (700 MB) inexpensively. Computers had CD-ROM
drives to read CD-ROM. The original disks (CD-Rs) were sold as “read only,” which actually meant
they could be written on only once. As inexpensive recordable CD (CD-RW) drives became popular,
people began to store massive databases or record music on their own. CD-ROM drives are sold with
three different speed ratings: one speed for write-once operations, one for rewrite operations, and one
for read-only operations. A 12×/10×/32× CD drive can write to CD-R disks at 12× speed, write to CD-
RW disks at 10× speed, and read from CD disks at 32× speed.
Today, DVD-ROM disks, which have roughly six times the capacity of CD-ROM disks, are
becoming popular and, in many cases, replacing CD-ROM disks. DVD popularity is being driven, at
least in part, by the fact that a single DVD can accommodate the massive amount of data necessary to
digitally store the sound and video images of a full-length feature movie. Recordable DVD drives are
now becoming reasonably priced. With their ability to read both CDs and DVDs and their ability to
record DVDs, recordable DVD drives are beginning to replace CD drives in newer computer systems.
There are numerous information databases available on CD that would be of interest to the
accountant or finance executive. For example, most census data is available on CD. Also, historical
data on stock and bond prices, copies of most trade articles, Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
regulations, state tax regulations, tax forms, recent court decisions, tax services, generally accepted
accounting principles and auditing standards (GAAP and GAAS), continuing education courses, and
many other topics are available on CD.
Monitor
The first computer monitor was a cathode ray tube (CRT), which physically resembles a television.
Flat-panel or LCD monitors have now become the norm. The major advantage of the flat-panel
display is that it takes up much less space on a desk than does the CRT. Today‟s software supports
dual screens—users can have different applications viewed on separate monitors and can move
between the two applications without closing either one—so space on the desk becomes an issue.
There are significant advantages to having a display that is as large as space and budget allow.
Some of the real power of windowing software is the ability to view several windows of data at the
same time. Small display screens make such windowing much more difficult to view. A 19-inch
display (diagonal measurement of the screen) is the minimum workable size.