Formatting CDs

[Les Mikesell]

Aaron Konstam wrote:

>>>> Format allows you to use the CD-RW disk as if it was a hard disk or a
>>>> memory stick to copy files on to it with the cp command or erase using
>>>> the rm command.
>>> I don't think you can do that with CD's.
>> Sure you can.  It's usually referred to ask "Packet Writing".  There's an
>> old Sourceforge page for a project to bring support to Linux
>> (http://packet-cd.sourceforge.net/).  I don't know what the current status
>> is, though.
> Formatting and Packet Writing are not the same thing . 

On a CDRW, it is packet writing and the UDF filesystem that lets you 
write and erase files incrementally - and I don't think it is supported 
on linux.  The iso filesystem has to be written all at once along with 
the data so formatting doesn't really happen as a separate step.  You 
can write multiple sessions that appear as separate filesystems though.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
   lesmikesell at gmail.com