Re: CD-ROM usage

[philip@utstat.toronto.edu (Philip McDunnough)]

In article <B0cXwB2w165w@lablues.UUCP> larry@lablues.UUCP (Lawrance A. Schneider) writes:

[ ]
>
>Phil, what is required for the "search engine?"  What is a "CDTV/CD-I?"
>It does seem worthy of note that there is no such "engine;" why hasn't
>Roger Wagner written such for Hyper Studio?  I would think it would be
>a natural?!?!?  My literate daughter (unlike me - besides, she's 
>pretty)
>could really use such an item and the ease of research for school 
>projects
>is obvious.                   Larry

Well Larry in a sense both HCGS and Hyperstudio could be used to access and
play the dat on a CD-ROM. For instance many Mac CD-ROM's use Hypercard as
their means of navigating around the CD-ROM and retrieving information via
that application. The data on the CD-ROM is there as there are only so many
ways to put down the information. There are standards for this, but the data
itself won't do you any good without the application to access and use it.
 
CD-ROM's have really only recently become a bit popular as the price of 
readers has dropped. At the same time the GS is not seen by the CD-ROM
industry as worth supporting, given its current status. Hyperstudio wisely
concentrated on video discs. These are faster, more generic in terms of which
computer controls them, etc...I don't know if there's an encyclopedia for
a viseo disc player. They seem better suited to animated sequences, etc...
 
CDTV/CD-I are standalone consoles (Tandy's VIS is another one). CDTV for 
example is really an Amiga 500 driven by a CD-ROM (with a few extras) and
comes bundled with Groliers and Lemmings. It's currently priced at around
$600. It can be played, and is really meant to be, though the TV or through a
VOC. It's really quite nice. It can be expanded into a computer with the
addition of a keyboard, trackball, scsi hard drive, monitor, etc...CD-I is
the same sort of idea but uses a different OS (OS-9 I believe, or 8!) and
can't be expeanded into a computer. VIS is Windows' based and while not as 
interesting as the other 2 it will probably sell much better. It comes bundled
with Compton's. CDTV/CD-I/VIS look like CD-Audio players. They can be    
operated remotely, the CDTV can be networked to an Amiga!, etc...So far sales
have been poor. I have a CDTV and really like it.
  
CD-ROM readers attached to computers would involve switching platforms and
spending time, energy and more money. I wouldn't switch now in order to get
into CD-ROM. I'd look into the new generation of consoles.
 
What is clear is that the GS is out of the running in this arena. It is the 
only current platform without an encylopedia on CD-ROM. CD-ROM is growing,
and I'm finding it harder and harder to justify the GS, even as a multimedia
platform. No point going  over the sordid situation. It's less than pleasant.
 
Regards,
 
Philip