iso9660

The ISO 9660 standard, formally known as "ISO/IEC 9660:1988", is a standard file system for CD-ROM media. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), it was created to provide a common format that could be read by a wide variety of operating systems and hardware. This standardization was crucial for the widespread adoption and interoperability of CD-ROM technology.

The primary goal of ISO 9660 is to ensure that data recorded on a CD-ROM can be accessed on different computer platforms. It defines directory structures, file naming conventions, and character sets. To achieve maximum compatibility, ISO 9660 imposes certain limitations, such as restricting file names to uppercase letters, numbers, and a limited set of punctuation, and limiting directory depth.

Several extensions to the original ISO 9660 standard exist to overcome some of its limitations and add features like longer file names, case sensitivity, and support for other character sets. The most common extension for Microsoft Windows is Joliet, while HFS+ is used for macOS. The Rock Ridge Interchange Protocol is another extension that allows for Unix-like file attributes and longer file names. Despite its limitations, ISO 9660 remains a foundational standard for optical media data storage and distribution.