Agree they should have used a less-brittle kind of plastic, but I'm sure the cost factor figured in.
Also remember that in the early CD days, discs were sold in cardboard long boxes, so less likely
you'd get a damaged jewel case. If you break one at home, replacements are dirt-cheap.
I really like the soft plastic Gaylord boxes that libraries use, but they are frosted semi-opaque,
which makes reading the spine harder.
As a matter of course, one should handle their CD collection with care because so many discs are now
out of print. Fingerprints are toxic, and circular scratches often cause fatal read errors.
Non-deep/non-wide scratches that go from center to edge (ie not along the circle) are less likely to
cause read errors, but should be avoided. One problem with envelopes is that they can be conducive
to scratches, especially in a dirty environment. I'm more and more of the mind that it's wise to rip
our CDs to hard drives, not counting on the discs being playable long-term. I worry about players
eventually not existing (not likely in my lifetime, but possible) and the discs getting unplayable
from some aging process that we don't yet know about (plastic is, after all, plastic and thus not
100% stable over time).
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Judson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 2:39 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Maximizing CD Storage Space
> Yes, but - one accidental drop or slip and the case becomes unusable, requiring replacement or
> tape added as a hinge....
> L
> Sent from Lou Judson's 🍎ipad
> Mobile 415-271-8070
>
> On Nov 6, 2013, at 10:33 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> As much as any of us who have amassed substantial numbers of CDs might dislike them, there was a
>> method in developing the Jewel Case. It remains the best way to shelve a CD vertically with a
>> plainly visible and readable spine for quick recognition and access. Some of the laminated paper
>> with glued plastic "greener" CD packaging accomplishes the same goal, in roughly the same form
>> factor
>
>
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