[bionet.molbio.genbank] GenBank on Compact Disks ?

Don.Gilbert@IUBio.Bio.Indiana.Edu (Don Gilbert) (08/31/90)

Organization: Biology Dept., Indiana University


I am interested in obtaining releases of GenBank via compact disk, if the 
price is reasonable and the CD releases are relatively timely.  David 
Benton,  in a previous posting, mentioned the imminent release of a CD 
pressing of GenBank, so maybe this would be a good time to let us 
netreaders know more about it?   I, and I think other also, would prefer 
not to pump the 50+ MB of compressed GenBank over the Internet every few 
months.

Q1.  I asked this question via paper mail to GenBank a while back but did 
not get the answer that I needed.  I have a Macintosh CD ROM drive that 
understands ISO 9660 and High Sierra file formats, as well as Macintosh 
file format.  I am contemplating purchase of a Sun CD ROM that also 
understands ISO 9660 and High Sierra.  Will the GenBank CD be in one or 
more of these low-level disk formats? 
 
Q2.  The answer I did receive from GenBank was on the high-level formats 
to be included on the CD, the "GenBank/ EMBL/ PIR CD ROM file structure 
proposal".  I think it is great that you are getting together on this 
format, and eventually someone will write software that will allow use of 
the special indexing described for this high level format.   But what I 
need now is a CD that contains the same files that you make available via 
ftp.  This may be answered somewhere in the lengthy CD document, but can 
you tell me now:  Does this GenBank CD contain the same files as you make 
available via ftp?

Q3.  How do I order the CD and how much does it cost for a yearly 
subscription?

Thanks,   Don

Don.Gilbert@iubio.bio.indiana.edu    
biology dept., indiana univ.,  bloomington, in 47405, usa  

benton@genbank.BIO.NET (David Benton) (09/03/90)

Don Gilbert asked the following questions about the release of GenBank
data on CD ROM:

> I have a Macintosh CD ROM drive that 
> understands ISO 9660 and High Sierra file formats, as well as Macintosh 
> file format.  I am contemplating purchase of a Sun CD ROM that also 
> understands ISO 9660 and High Sierra.  Will the GenBank CD be in one or 
> more of these low-level disk formats? 

The GenBank CD ROM will be ISO 9660.
  
> Q2.  The answer I did receive from GenBank was on the high-level formats 
> to be included on the CD, the "GenBank/ EMBL/ PIR CD ROM file structure 
> proposal".  But what I 
> need now is a CD that contains the same files that you make available via 
> ftp.  This may be answered somewhere in the lengthy CD document, but can 
> you tell me now:  Does this GenBank CD contain the same files as you make 
> available via ftp?

The answer is in the third paragraph of that lengthy document.  The
GenBank flat-file (magnetic tape distribution) format files and the
GenBank floppy disk distribution format files will be included on the
GenBank CD ROM as long as there is room.  The ASCII text files on the
CD ROM will be formatted as MS-DOS files with CR/LF record delimiters.
The first GenBank CD ROM, which should be shipping within two weeks,
will include the following databases:

	GenBank Rel 63.0, floppy disk format
	GenBank Rel 64.1, floppy disk format
	GenBank Rel 64.1, mag-tape format
	GenPept Rel 64.2, mag-tape format

The next release, due to ship in late October, will include GenBank
Rel. 65 in mag-tape, floppy disk, and the new common CD ROM formats
and GenPept Rel. 65.  Rel 64.1 contains the same entries as Rel 64.0,
but with some corrections to feature locations.  GenPept is a protein
sequence database created by automatic translation (using the justly
famed programs of Jim Fickett) of all annotated protein coding regions
in GenBank.  Rel 64.2 includes translations of all the entries in
GenBank Rel 63.0 plus all new GenBank entries prepared for release up
to August 17.

> Q3.  How do I order the CD and how much does it cost for a yearly 
> subscription?

Send e-mail to genbank@genbank.bio.net requesting an order form
(please include your postal address).  The CD ROM releases are
currently priced at $100 per release ($25 discount for pre-paid or
MC/Visa orders) or $300 for a four-release annual subscription.

Sincerely,

David Benton
GenBank
benton@karyon.bio.net