Producing your own CDROM on your desktop
| Date | 01 April 1995 |
| Pages | 355-358 |
| Published date | 01 April 1995 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045388 |
| Author | Dean Lategan |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Producing
your own
CDROM
on
your desktop
Dean Lategan
Xcel
Engineering and Management (Pty)
Ltd,
PO Box
20355,
Alkantrant,
0005 South Africa
Abstract: CDROM has come a long way since its introduction in
1982.
It has
matured into a feasible technology/or storing and distributing enormous
amounts of information. Although parallels can be drawn between CDROM and
mass
storage
devices,
CDROM is not just another storage device that
works
with
a
microcomputer.
Its true value is its ability
to
make large amounts of data
accessible at a low
cost.
Today it is possible to create your own CDROM on your desktop. In this paper I
will explain all the possibilities for users to create their own CDROMs on their
desktops. I will also discuss the pitfalls when doing
so.
I will discuss the different
hardware available and give a practical demonstration.
1.
Introduction
Since 1982 there have been many de-
velopments in the field of CDROM.
We began with CD Audio and fol-
lowed
this
with data on
CD.
Very soon
people realised that the CD is an excel-
lent medium on which to distribute in-
formation. The need to be able to
produce your own information on a
CD became greater and greater.
In 1985 Taiyo Yuden began the de-
velopment of CD-R (CD recordable).
The first prototype was introduced in
1988 and in 1989 the Orange Book
was developed. Like the Red and Yel-
low books for CD Audio and
CDROM, the Orange Book defines
the physical format standards for the
CD-R. When purchased, CD-Rs con-
form only to the Orange Book. How-
ever, once recorded they also conform
to
either the Red or Yellow
book.
Mass
production of CD-R media and re-
corders began in
1990.
In
1992
the first
double speed recorders were intro-
duced. In 1993 the first fully net-
worked CDROM system was intro-
duced to the market. In 1994 Yamaha
released a quadruple
drive,
while other
manufacturers have been concentrat-
ing on introducing lower-cost double
speed drives. The race was on to pro-
duce the most affordable CD recorder.
Sony released its low-cost writer in
1995 at a price that makes it possible
for people to create there own
CDROM on their desktop.
2.
Why CD-R?
With the growing sales of CDROM
readers, the market for CD-R has one
tremendous advantage over other re-
movable data storage media, except
floppies, in that readers are freely
available. Although some view the
write-once characteristic of CD-Rs as
a disadvantage, the large storage ca-
pacity and low media cost leave the
user with few better alternatives for
specific data storage applications. In
addition, there are some distinct ad-
vantages to a product that cannot be
overwritten, particularly for docu-
ments which may have legal implica-
tions such as transaction records.
There are also many types of data that,
once developed. never need to be
modified. Typical uses for CD-R in-
clude:
2.
1. CDROM prototyping
The performance of a CDROM is sig-
nificantly affected by the locations of
the files on the
disc.
Thus the perform-
ance of the CDROM can be improved
by optimally placing files that are
often used in sequence next to each
other so that the CD reader does not
need to spend time traversing the disc
as it moves from file to file. For CD
titles where all data is accessed se-
quentially, such as a movie, or titles
where data
is
accessed completely ran-
domly, such as a database, file optimi-
sation will either be obvious or
impossible. However, for titles such as
games or multimedia, the order in
which files will be accessed cannot be
predicted easily. However, by actually
running the program the order and fre-
quency in which data is accessed can
be monitored and adjustments made.
CD-Rs are used by
the
software devel-
oper during this optimisation process.
Often hundreds are used in the devel-
opment of a single title.
2.
2. Low quantity data distribution
Currently CDROM mastering costs
range from $500 to $2000 and replica-
tion costs range from $0.50 to $2.00
(the price ranges involved depend on
desired turnaround time). With CD-R
available on the street for
$12,
it can
be
seen that for quantities as high as 200,
CD-R can be a more economical
method of duplication. In addition, if
users own CD-R recording equipment
they can have any turnaround time
they desire.
The Electronic Library, Vol. 13, No. 4, August 1995 355
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