Whenever I sell a new computer there are a number of questions I have to ask. One of those questions is: “Do you want or need a DVD/CD Writer?” Why is that question important?

In the computer world, once we got past floppy disks, almost all programs were sold on CDs or DVDs. Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, MacOS, Quickbooks, Quicken, WordPerfect, Adobe Photoshop – these are all examples of programs sold on disks. Pretty much every computer – whether a desktop, a laptop or an all-in-one – came with a DVD/CD Writer. (Well, to be fair, in the very early days after floppy disks, some components could only read CDs and DVDs and not write files to them.)

Now, however, things have changed. You can almost count on one hand the number of computer programs that come on a disk. The majority of programs are sold as downloads. You download and install the programs from the software writer’s website. Even though programs sold in a store may have similar packaging as in the old days, when you open them up, there’s usually just a license number and the URL of the website for the download. Why has this happened? Just think about the money saved by not having to produce a CD or DVD for a program!

When it comes to laptops, there are two other reasons DVD/CD drives often are not included. First, a laptop can be slightly lighter in weight without a drive. Second, the laptop can be thinner when there’s no DVD/CD component.

Even when it comes to music, often there is no need for a CD drive. More and more, our music comes from online – either as streaming music or in the form of musical purchases.

When might you need a DVD/CD drive? Reason #1: you have musical CDs and you’d like to get the music onto your computer; Reason #2: you have an old computer program that came on disk and is no longer available.

One note: USB DVD/CD burners are around $30. If you happen to buy a computer from me (or somewhere else) and the best deal is a computer without a drive, you can easily pick one up to use.