I was thinking about netbooks v laptops, and it occured to me that I could not actually remember the last time I used a CD.

If I want to play music in the car then it's easiest to use a CD - but it plays MP3 CDs (which are still CDs) and I could also just use my phone. As it happens, I don't really listen to music in the car. I keep meaning to burn some disks, but I never get around to it.

For playing music at home, I do buy CDs... but I only play them once to rip them, and then they go on the shelf to remain simply as proof that I paid for them!

On my computers, now I can download a 700MB CD image in about 2 seconds and then put it on a memory stick. I seriously can't remember the last time I actually used a data CD. I think it was probably several years ago. The cover-disks I get on PC-pro mostly disappear down the back of the sofa

So, in all honesty, do you still use CDs on a regular basis?

No. I did burn a CD to transfer some stuff the other week. That was images for a client, and CD was the most obvious choice.

Like you, I have shelves of music CDs, which I still insist on buying over downloaded music (though I have now succumbed and bought three or four tracks that way as well).

There are DVDs on the shelf, too. I don't intend on ripping them.

I generally can't be bothered to rip DVD films, because I'll probably only watch them once. CDs I only buy if I think I'll listen to them more than once, so they're worth ripping. I imagine that's quite usual.

I use CDs all the time for making MP3 discs or backing up proper ones, listening to purchased ones... I also download free tracks, use Spotify etc

Yup. MP3 discs for the car and giving copies of photos to work where a DVD would be surplus to requirements.
Can't see either changing in the near future.

Last time I used a CD, it was to update the firmware on the in-car satnav. Otherwise haven't used them in a while. All my music has already been ripped. I CBA'd to do it to my DVDs as it'd take too long - I want to rip and convert to WMA or similar so I can store them on an external HDD and then play them on my PS3.

For computer use, apart from installing non-downloaded software, no.

Haven't bought music CDs in ages, but still get DVDs of films sometimes. I usually rip music, but not films.

Yes I need CD.
Games I have require the CD to play.
Music I buy is on CD so I have a physical copy of it before I rip it to MP3.

Those are not good reasons, to my mind.

Once you rip the CD, how often do you use it? If downloads were not such over-priced low quality insecure DRM'd crap, I would buy even fewer CDs.

With games would a nice safe download from Steam not be better? That way, there's no CD to lose or damage.

On my hifi, whenever I listen to music.
Plus I like having a full quality backup of my music that I can re rip to whatever standard comes after MP3.

I do like the "full quality" back-up, but I really never play the actual CDs.

What truly annoys me is just how low quality CDs are, when it would cost absolutely not one penny more to use a proper HiFi format... seriously, most stuff is mastered at way over CD quality and it costs nothing to publish it in the same format. There are a few places that do, but it's all rather esoteric. You're not going to find much chart music on the more logical formats.

Music CDs are an excellent example of a popular but antiquated format holding back progress. I only buy them because they're not as bad as the alternatives.

Yeah, I could have the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded onto solid gold platters by God's own producer, it'll still sound mediocre with the speakers in my car.
CD audio isn't astounding, but it's good enough for 90% of the population.

My point is, if they just published it electronically in the format it was mastered in then it would be

1. Cheaper.
2. Good enough for 99.9% of the population.

That would reduce the number of people complaining by over 9000%.

Yes, it's by far the most pain-free method for installing Linux distros.

I've got stacks of music CD's cluttering up the shelves but like you guys I usually rip them to my computer and then the CD just sits around getting dusty. Started to buy music now from Amazon and just download it as theirs is DRM free.

For non-music use then hardly ever use CD's unless I need to reinstall Windows or something.

Use MP3 player in the car.

Got blu-ray player but again hardly any (4 I think) blu-ray movies - although cost is a factor here.