From: sdw@meaddata.com (Stephen Williams)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for the free Unix projects
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 13:54:21 GMT

terry@cs.weber.edu (A Wizard of Earth C) writes:
: In article <1992Oct6.193229.18258@meaddata.com> sdw@meaddata.com (Stephen Williams) writes:
: >:terry@icarus.weber.edu writes:
: >: > o	A "media charge" of $30 is not unreasonable if CD-ROM's are used,
: >
: >$1500 for the first 100 CD's, mastered from Tape (8mm or dat).
: >About $3 for each after that.
: >
: >A 'One off' costs $200-500.
: >
: >A complete mastering system costs $20000+ (Plus I assume you have to
: >get them pressed at some place big, don't know.).

: 
: 
: I will add 1000 copies of a piece of paper to go in the front; I'm going to
: assume it's black and white and that Aztec or Kinko's does it for me (I'm
: hypothetically broke after buying the mastering system and can't afford a
: photo copier).  Assume $.03 each (3 cents).  It's worth it to avoid the
: phone calls asking "how do I use this?".
: 
: 1000 CD's at the lowest figures listed for each step above:
: 
: Mastering system:	$	20,000
: 3 "one off" for beta:	$	   600	(3 Beta's is *very* conservative)
: First 100 CD's:		$	 1,500
: Next 900 CD's:		$	 2,700
: B&W paper for front:	$	   300
: 				______
: 		TOTAL	$	25,100
: Per CD cost:		$	    25.10
: Assume high "one off":	$	    26.00
: 
: This all assumes that there is no production loss and the "+" on the $20,000
: means "and some cents".
WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You totally misunderstood!!!!!!

1,500 for the first 100 IS THE TOTAL COST!!!! for a service firm to do
it.

Noone would ever actually buy the mastering system!!!  I just added
the costs for curiosity out there.

I believe that some of the service places make a one-off master while
during the whole process.  You shouldn't need more than one typically,
especially for companies that support the new version of the standard
CD format (the one that supports extra Unix info).

Does anyone know if the Linux driver knows about the Unix info (gives
full filenames, deeper directories, etc.)???

That means $15 each for the first 100, then $3 each thereafter......

Go read alt.cd-rom!!!!!!!!!!

: 
: What did I say again?  Oh yeah:
: >: > o  A "media charge" of $30 is not unreasonable if CD-ROM's are used
: Maybe next time I should "show my work"... 8-).
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT  Thank you for playing    ;-)

This might of been a model on how to get into the CD-rom service firm
business, but is very misleading about general publishing....

: 
: The mastering system is used to take data and lay it out in the correct
: file format; it has a "CD Emulator" (2 disks) and a DAT drive for writing
: the master, plus all hardware and software to deal with the creation of
: the master tape.  This is not something you can do without unless you
: work somewhere that already bought one and they will miraculously let you
: use it, or you own the company (volunteers, anyone?).
: 
: The assumptions about 1000 disks may be wrong; I kind of doubt it; I think
: the number of people buying CD ROM drives to do 386BSD or Linux would be
: smaller than that; however, if they are wrong on the low side, the cost of
: the mastering system amortized out over a larger number of CD ROMs *would*
: drop the cost.  2000 would drop it to 14.05/14.50 depending on Beta costs,
: again, assuming no production losses.

Closer to $4-5......

Cheapest CD-ROM drives I have seen (If you want to buy from me, add
$50 for my time/phone calls, etc.):

$177 for non-scsi (doubt if a driver can be had reasonably for
	Unix/Linux)
$250 for scsi (don't know if they're still available or what type)

$~400 nice new scsi.....

sdw
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