lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (08/18/90)
In <1990Aug18.054937.11246@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>, xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: >lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes: >> >[Need an installed base of Amiga CD-ROM drives to sell CD-ROM disks, but > also need an existing base of CD-ROMware to sell Amiga CD-ROM drives.] > >>This is why it is so important to have a CD-ROM >>available that will sell fairly well; one that will cause folks to go out and >>buy a drive. Personally, I think that a _fully_ indexed Fred Fish collection, >>whether it be on 1 disk or 3, along with a good search engine, would be the >>catalyst that starts the ball rolling (or the CD-ROM spinning). > >Another solution of course is to make the Amiga software and hardware >compatible with the existing CD-ROM data disks. Well, it can (and should) be made compatible with existing data disks, as far as the file system format is concerned; that is, it can be made conformant to the High Sierra or ISO 9660 specs. This, however, says absolutely nothing about the contents, which can be (and are) determined by the publisher of the data disk, exclusively. -larry -- It is not possible to both understand and appreciate Intel CPUs. -D.Wolfskill +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 -or- 76703.4322@compuserve.com | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) (08/18/90)
lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes: > [Need an installed base of Amiga CD-ROM drives to sell CD-ROM disks, but also need an existing base of CD-ROMware to sell Amiga CD-ROM drives.] >This is why it is so important to have a CD-ROM >available that will sell fairly well; one that will cause folks to go out and >buy a drive. Personally, I think that a _fully_ indexed Fred Fish collection, >whether it be on 1 disk or 3, along with a good search engine, would be the >catalyst that starts the ball rolling (or the CD-ROM spinning). Another solution of course is to make the Amiga software and hardware compatible with the existing CD-ROM data disks. But enough of seriousness; I just figured out my candidate for the name of the (first) Fred Fish Software Grand Compendium CD-ROM disk: A School of Fishware Well, I liked it! Kent, the man from xanth. <xanthian@Zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <xanthian@well.sf.ca.us>
lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (08/18/90)
In <81414@aerospace.AERO.ORG>, foy@aerospace.aero.org (Richard Foy) writes: >In article <1990Aug18.054937.11246@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: >>lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes: >... >>>This is why it is so important to have a CD-ROM >>>available that will sell fairly well; one that will cause folks to go out and >>>buy a drive. Personally, I think that a _fully_ indexed Fred Fish collection, >>>whether it be on 1 disk or 3, along with a good search engine, would be the >>>catalyst that starts the ball rolling (or the CD-ROM spinning). >> >>Another solution of course is to make the Amiga software and hardware >>compatible with the existing CD-ROM data disks. >> >I would be perfectly happy to have all of the Fish Disks just copied >onto the CD Rom. > >Currently I have a simple ARexx program that does apretty good job >of finding things. I have copied all of the Fish Contents files >(for the approx 300 disks which I onto my hard drive). The ARexx >program searches those files in the background and when it finishes >the whole list it opens a window with all of the hits. > >It is not very sophisticated. If I had the complete disks on a CD-Rom, >it would be very simple to enhance the ARexx script to do much more. Having just the unindexed contents of all the disks on a CD-ROM is rather like using a hard drive as if it were a tape unit. It is a little handier than having 300 floppies and the contents files on HD, but not a heck of a lot. Searching by looking through the contents themselves is a slow procedure at best. Imagine the enhanced utility of being able to say something like: find <sector & editor> & ~diskx and find out within 3 or 4 seconds how many sector editors there are on the Fish disks, what their names are, and be presented with the option to further narrow or widen the search, or to display the appropriate file(s). This same operation using conventional search methods on contents files alone would take a WHOLE lot longer, not to mention the searches you might do on words that are not in the contents files, but are embedded in code, readmes, or doc files. A screwdriver can be used as a hammer, but it really is better to use the right tools for the job at hand. -larry -- It is not possible to both understand and appreciate Intel CPUs. -D.Wolfskill +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 -or- 76703.4322@compuserve.com | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
foy@aerospace.aero.org (Richard Foy) (08/18/90)
In article <1990Aug18.054937.11246@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes: >lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes: ... >>This is why it is so important to have a CD-ROM >>available that will sell fairly well; one that will cause folks to go out and >>buy a drive. Personally, I think that a _fully_ indexed Fred Fish collection, >>whether it be on 1 disk or 3, along with a good search engine, would be the >>catalyst that starts the ball rolling (or the CD-ROM spinning). > >Another solution of course is to make the Amiga software and hardware >compatible with the existing CD-ROM data disks. > I would be perfectly happy to have all of the Fish Disks just copied onto the CD Rom. Currently I have a simple ARexx program that does apretty good job of finding things. I have copied all of the Fish Contents files (for the approx 300 disks which I onto my hard drive). The ARexx program searches those files in the background and when it finishes the whole list it opens a window with all of the hits. It is not very sophisticated. If I had the complete disks on a CD-Rom, it would be very simple to enhance the ARexx script to do much more. -- foy@aerospace.aero.org (Richard Foy) Standard Disclaimer "Knowing others is wisdom: Knowing the self is enlightenment." -LAO TZU