So many comments about CDs being a thing of the past. I still love them.

For software, the utility is obvious, though flash drives are starting to replace that necessity.

For music, though, if you buy a CD you can rip it into any format or bitrate you want, no DRM, and you have an archival quality copy if you change your mind.

There's also the matter of quality. You can buy lossless, but that will fill up your hard drive pretty quickly.

Plus, and perhaps there's some nostalgia at play here, buying digital music loses the charm of a physical copy. There's no "ritual" for lack of a better word. At the music store (or section) surrounded by thousands of albums, you flip through and make your choice. If the store is equipped, you might listen to some previews from the album. After buying it, you tear off the plastic and pop it in, browsing through the album art as you listen to the first few tracks. When you aren't listening to it, it goes on a shelf with the others as a physical representation of your collection. And further, it's awesome browsing through someone's collection when you're at their place.

When you buy it electronically, it's just a couple of clicks. It's somehow a more hollow experience.

Sure, I always rip them and listen to them on my PC or iPod primarily, but I can do whatever I want with those files, and I still get the process of purchasing the album.