This picture showcases the variety of compact discs (in this case, CD-ROMs) that a specialist computer owner might have a acquired over an active career using computers around the turn of the millenium. Each disc is, of course, unique, and the variety of print designs they exhibit underscores their diversity. But each disc is also standardised both in form and also, to some extent, in its binary contents. It is this standardisation that lends them their global currency. Image by Maciej Bliziński, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
In a highly competitive industry, how much collaboration is possible? Hear participants talk about the dynamics of the trade, then and now:
