stapltn@ucrmath.ucr.edu (04/03/91)
**********Writable CD-ROM System for Sun's and PC's*********** Young Minds, Inc. announces "CD-Maker", a Writable CD-ROM System for the Sun-3s, Sun-4s, SPARCstations and PCs. Sun and PC users can now create actual CD-ROMs on their desktop that can be read by any CD-ROM drive on the market. Utilizing Young Minds' "Makedisc" CD-ROM formatting software and driver technology in combination with the Sony CD Write-Once (WO) technology, Sun and PC users have the ability to create prototypes and generate low cost, low volume CD-ROM production runs in-house. Actual CD-ROMs for software or data distribution that support UNIX (TM) file naming (using Young Minds' "Original Name Recovery" facilities) can be created with just two easy-to-use commands. The recording medium is an organic dye disc that has a projected media life of more than 10 years and is available for under $40 per disc. For larger volume production runs software vendors and data distributors have the option of mass producing their CD-ROMs. This can be done for as little as $1.60 per disc plus a mastering fee as low as $800. The mastering facilities include a 2 color label and a plastic jewel box in these prices. The Unix program "Makedisc" formats any file set, up to 660 MB, to the international CD-ROM file format standard, ISO 9660. No dedicated hardware is required and NFS accessible network resources can be utilized for source files or output. Even novice users can produce and test CD-ROM images on their Unix workstation. Makedisc automatically handles Unix style names, symbolic links and the many intricacies of ISO formatting. Makedisc then outputs the ISO compliant CD image to tape, CD-WO disc or any other appropriate electronic media. A CD manufacturing facility can take this output and create a metal master that is used for the mass production of CD-ROM discs. "Makedisc", is also available independent of CD-Maker and operates on Sun-3, Sun-4, SPARCstation, 88open architectures, HP 9000UX, IBM RS/6000, Apollo, and NeXT workstations. *************************************************************************** "Makedisc" is an ideal product for software publishers and computer companies to use in replacing magnetic tape with low-cost CD-ROM as their primary distribution medium. *************************************************************************** "CD-Maker", including the Sony CD-WO hardware and Young Minds "Makedisc" software and driver technology lists at $35,500. Young Minds is active in the development and promotion of CD-ROM standards related to Unix. YMi was the first company to produce an ISO 9660 compliant CD-ROM disc for the Unix market, the Free Software Foundations "GNU" library of software source code. Other products from Young Minds include Motif/ OPEN LOOK/Sunview CD-ROM retrieval software and Unix CD-ROM file system drivers. For more information contact: Tom Stapleton (yngmnds!stapltn@ucrmath.ucr.edu) Young Minds, Inc. 308 W. State St. Suite 2B Redlands, CA 92373 Ph: (714) 335-1350 Fax: (714) 798-0488