From: barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N. Barrett)
Subject: Reasons for Amiga CD-ROM
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 23:27:05 GMT

In article <n1314t@ofa123.fidonet.org> Aric.Caley@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
>> Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
>> From: barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N. Barrett)
>> Message-ID: <Bzq75n.BA8@news.iastate.edu>
>> Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
>>
>>   Of course.  But the miraculous thing about CD-ROM is that it makes 650M of
>> read-only storage available for the manufacturing cost of a floppy disk.
>
>Wrong.   550Meg.   And  the  manufacturing  costs  are comparable to floppy
>disks, since you need to press a bunch of CD's at once whereas floppies can
>be done a few at a time.  Floppies are much easier to work with, aside from
>their small storage capacity.

   There are also the usual problems with manufacturing floppies to be taken
into consideration as well.  The magnetic media of floppies is more prone to
developing read/write errors before the disk leaves the duplicators, or 
during shipment.

>I think Commodore ought to put a 20 meg floptical on high end Amigas.

   I've suggested that as well.  Floptical drives and CD-ROM drives cost about
the same.  It is a toss-up right now which would be more beneficial in the
short run.  I think CD-ROM drives would be more beneficial in the long-run,
at any rate.

>>   Of course.  But CD-ROM can do wonders with a system that already has good
>> non-interlaced resolution and color capabilities.
>
>Which of course the Amiga doesn't have according to you..

   I would prefer 800x600 non-interlaced resolution on all Amigas, including
the low-end machines.  So would the people at DataMax who developed DataTax.
They said they would not port their IBM CD-ROM tax-preparation system to
the Amiga until the non-interlaced resolutions are brought up to at least this
level.

>> >   While I would also like to see Commodore add more CD-ROM support to the
>> >Amiga, such third-party solutions have been available for well over a year.
>>
>>   True, and exactly how much CD-ROM ***SOFTWARE*** has come out of this
>> third-party CD-ROM support?  Excepting CDTV titles, which I do not regard as
>> true Amiga CD-ROM software.
>
>Why  not?   Just because counting CDTV titles would hurt your argument that
>the  Amiga  has no CD-ROM support?

   No, because CDTV titles are junk compared to Mac CD-ROM and IBM CD-ROM
software.  CDTV titles are written for a 1M non-multitasking machine with
a 4096-color palette, a low-res display and a 16-bit processor.  Whereas Mac
and IBM CD-ROM software (including MPC software) is written for a faster
system with more memory, a larger palette, and a much higher resolution 
non-interlaced display.

   If the Amiga (not CDTV) is going to make it against Mac CD-ROM and MPC
systems suchas the Tandy Sensation, it has to do it with Amiga CD-ROM software
on the same level as the CD-ROM software available for the systems that the
Amiga is competing against.  ***CDTV TITLES WILL NOT CUT IT***.

>  And if you dont count CDTV, then why do
>you make points about the third party solutions not fully supporting CDTV?

   As much as the Amiga desperately needs high-quality CD-ROM software written
specifically for Amigas with a fast CPU, lots of memory, and a high-resolution
non-interlaced display, CDTV titles are all that is available.  In the short
term, CDTV titles will have to be supported.  Without them, all we are left
with are the Fish and AB20 discs.

>Look,  maybe  Amiga people just arent as gung ho about CD-ROM as people are
>on  other  systems.


   Perhaps I am more visionary than anybody else.  The future is CD-ROM, 
period.  If the Amiga does not get its act together with CD-ROM, the most
powerful chipsets in the world will not help it.

>   There ARE thrid party solutions.

   And what has become of them?  I ask again: how much **AMIGA** (not CDTV)
CD-ROM software is available?

>  Perhaps Amiga users
>have  their  priorities  in  different  areas and just don't care that much
>about  CD-ROM.   Sure, a CD-ROM drive might be kinda nifty - but there is a
>whole  slew  of other things I'd much rather have (large HD, floptical, AGA
>graphics, 14.4K modem, etc).

   If the Amiga had its act together with respect to CD-ROM, you would not 
think so.  You do not want a CD-ROM drive because there is no Amiga CD-ROM
software available.  If lots of Amiga CD-ROM software was available, of
the same quality as Mac and MPC CD-ROM software, you would feel otherwise.

>I'd  like  to  see  a  CD-ROM  based version of Out Of This World, with AGA
>graphics and hi-res animation; or another similar type game like the sequel
>to OOTW or Flashback.

   See?  Now you're getting the idea.  There are more possibilities with
CD-ROM than without it.  

---
| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu
--------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc