windley@cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu (Phil Windley/20000000) (02/01/91)
I'm getting ready to accept a bid from DEC on a DECStation 5000/200PX. The system software is comoing on CD-ROM and I'm getting a CD-ROM drive. My question is what is the CD-ROM drive good for besides reading software updates, etc. Are there any other disks that can be used with it? Can it play Music CD's like IBM's drive can? Is there any special software that one can get for it? -- Phil Windley | windley@cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu Assistant Professor | windley@cs.uidaho.edu Department of Computer Science | University of Idaho | Phone: 208.885.6501 Moscow, ID 83843 | Fax: 208.885.6645
libove@libove.det.dec.com (Jay Vassos-Libove) (02/02/91)
In article <WINDLEY.91Jan31102752@cheetah.cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu> windley@cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu (Phil Windley/20000000) writes:
I'm getting ready to accept a bid from DEC on a DECStation 5000/200PX. The
system software is comoing on CD-ROM and I'm getting a CD-ROM drive. My
question is what is the CD-ROM drive good for besides reading software
updates, etc. Are there any other disks that can be used with it? Can it
play Music CD's like IBM's drive can? Is there any special software that
one can get for it?
The CD-ROM drive has some advantages over the TK50 tape distribution media.
For one thing, it is significantly faster for a standard installation,
and especially for later software subset addition. Eventually (and this
is my own personal opinion, NOT DEC TALKING) I expect the DEC will
distribute everything on CD ROM, kina like Sun is doing now.
No, the current DEC "RRD40" CD ROM drives do not have a music port on them.
Current other products that are useful with the CD ROM drive include the
"bookreader" software which allows you to have online documentation with
full indices, so that pulling up a documentation (same as printed) page
is faster than leafing through a printed book. Ask your sales rep for
other such products and for pricing information.
--
Jay Vassos-Libove libove@libove.det.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation decwrl!libove.det.dec.com!libove
Detroit ACT/Ultrix Resource Center Opinions? They're mine, mine, all mine!
Farmington Hills, Michigan and D.E.C. Can't have 'em!bruce@camb.com (Barton F. Bruce) (02/08/91)
In article <LIBOVE.91Feb1113746@libove.det.dec.com>, libove@libove.det.dec.com (Jay Vassos-Libove) writes: > In article <WINDLEY.91Jan31102752@cheetah.cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu> windley@cheetah.cs.uidaho.edu (Phil Windley/20000000) writes: > > system software is comoing on CD-ROM and I'm getting a CD-ROM drive. My > question is what is the CD-ROM drive good for besides reading software > > No, the current DEC "RRD40" CD ROM drives do not have a music port on them. > DEC is switching from LMS to Sony, and from custom to off-the-shelf drives. Sony is only making custom CDROMs for Apple and SUN, and I assume it is just a microcode difference. The Sony CDU 541 **DOES** have an audio jack on the front, and a connector on the rear. You will get a flip open caddy with the new RRD42 drives, and DEC will no longer ship CDs in LMS's proprietary caddy (RRD40 style), but in Tyvek sleeves in a 12 CD pouch. For VMS, DEC has now dropped microfiche for source listings, so you have to get the CD version. Decus s/w is now on CDrom. Since LMF controls how long s/w is used, demos of s/w and of DEC's new Ed Services CD based training courses are distributed on CDROM, 'free'. I have in my hand a pile of 31 "Decus Trail PAKs" DEC's s/w demo offer from the last DECUS. Call 800.343.4040 and say you want the DEC World / Decus demo CDROM. 3 months of things like C, PAscal, Fortran, ADA, LISP, NOTES, etc. They sure aren't going to GIVE you tk50s for all that s/w!, but a CDROM, why not! Current demo PAKs drop dead after 30-apr-1991. With wholesale of that Sony drive being between 400 and 450 (@ quantity 1, internal model ), street price isn't that much more! remember it IS a PC drive too, so there is SERIOUS discounting.