IVTechnology Essentialsarnoldit.com/articles/book/ManagingBook/Managing4.pdfthe Apple Macintosh@ and Apple II

IVTechnology Essentials

“lt is the Age of MacJtine?y, in every outward and inward seme of theword. ” Thomas Carlyle, Signs of the Times

The CD-ROM is the result of almost 30years of technologi-cal evolution. The earliest optical information productwas the videodisc, which was first introduced in the 1950sas an alternative to film. A range of problems--includingcost and compatibility--prevented this technology frombeing much more than a suggestion of what could bedeveloped when computer power increased and pricesfell. The early optical storage systems required massivelasers and a roomful of computers. Now CD-ROM devicescan be carried as portable stereos or built into personalcomputers.

The basics of optical storage are little more than Isand OS. A laser beam burns a pit into a target surface. Thecombination of unmarred surface and pits allows data tobe digitally encoded. Reading the data on the surface ofthe encoded target requires another laser applicationwhich converts the unmarred surface and the pits into a

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Managing the New Electronic Information Products

form which can be used by a personal computer or audiosystem. CD-ROM is nothing more than an advanced type offloppy disc.

It was in the late 1970s that a more compact, costefficient, and useful format emerged. A number of tech-nological factors made progress possible. Computers weresmaller and more powerful. Lasers were miniaturized andtheir power requirements reduced. Almost 20 years ago,RCA marketed a 12-inch disc which provided color andstereophonic sound. But the high-cost of the disc and theplayback unit limited the product’s appeal. One earlyindication of the volatility of the CD-ROM industry wasRCA'S dropping out of the optical product race eventhough its laboratories pioneered the application of thetechnology.

The audio recording industry was the first successfulcommercial application of CD-ROM. The technology forencoding sound on a compact disc was developed byPhilips and Sony in 1980. After many squabbles overstandards for optical videodisc systems, these two com-panies reached a working arrangement which enabledthese firms to help provide leadership and practical stand-ards for music applications. CD-ROM technology revital-ized the music business and gave rise to a multi-billiondollar market for players, discs, and accessories.

At about the same time, a practical optical videodiscsystem called Laservision emerged. But it wasn’t until1985 that commercial compact-disc read-only memoryinformation products began to appear at library tradeshows and information industry meetings.

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IV Technology Essentials

A Still-Emerging Technology

The technology for optical products is among themost exciting because of the amount of data that can bestored in a form that resists damage from mishandling andenvironmental factors.

You have probably heard many analogies which re-late the quantity of data that can be stored on a plastic disca bit less than five inches in diameter--4.72 inches. If youcan imagine a shelf of library books or a case of floppydiscs, you have a working pictu re of 600 megabytes of data.But new ways of encoding the data on the discs will allowfor even higher storage densities.

Each evolutionary change in technologies whichmake the CD-ROM possible has the potential for renderingtoday’s application, hardware, and software obsolete.

To provide some stability in this high-stakes game,there are now standards that provide assurance that theproduct purchased in 1989 will be fully functional four orfive years in the future. There are four current standardsfor CD-ROM technology.

The Red Book

Produced by Philips and Sony, this standard specifiesthe physical and electrical characteristics of CD-DA (com-pact disc-digital audio).

The Yellow Book

Philips and Sony produced this standard for prepara-tion and accessing digital data in read-only fashion on a

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compact disc. The Yellow Book standard relates to CD-ROM hardware.

High Sierra

This standard applies to the logical formatting of thedata files on the disc. It is now recognized as IS0 standard9660 (Volume and File Structure of CD-ROM InformationInterchange) and can be read by all CD-ROM drives andoperating systems compatible with the standard.

Green Book

This standard applies to a set of specifications for thephysical characteristics of compact-disc interactive (CD-I)and readers.

Microsoft Extensions

Microsoft Corporation, sponsor of the major CD-ROM conference and exposition, has made a significantcontribution to the stability of the CD-ROM informationproduct platform.

The company, working with other companies produc-ing CD-ROM products, developed what are called theMicrosoft CD-ROM Extensions or MSCDEX. This softwareallows the disk operating system in an IBM-compatiblepersonal computer to overcome its file-size limitation andaccess the CD-ROM discs.

Vendors of CD-ROM drives license the Extensionsfrom Microsoft, adapt them to their hardware, and canprovide a copy of the software with the CD-ROM drive.Check with the vendor from whonl the CD-ROM was pur-

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IV Technology Essentials-

chased to make certain the MSCDEX (Microsoft Exten-sions) files are included.

Three Essential Questions

l Does this product adhere to the High Sierra stand-ard (IS0 9660)? If a product does not, you will nothave the reassurance that comes with acquiring aproduct that conforms to the standard that most ofthe major CD-ROM publishers use.

l Does a copy of Microsoft CD-ROM Extensionscome with the product? Dots it have to be installedseparately by the purchaser or is it bundled into theinstallation software? Will there be an additionalcharge for the Extensions?

l Will the CD-ROMproduct run on any CD-ROM driveor just a selected few? Some CD-ROM productsoftware may only run with certain drives or onparticular computers.

System Components

The basic components of a CD-ROM system are:

l IBM or IBM-compatible personal computer; 80286or 80386 recommended but not mandatory. The8088- or 8086-based computer may have an un-satisfactory response time.

l A CD-ROM optical drive. Appendix A to this chap-ter lists a number of the most popular drives avail-able in 1989.

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l A card which plugs into one of the expansion slotsinside the personal computer’s case. This creates aport for the cable to connect the PC to the CD-ROMdrive.

l Retrieval software, which can be provided eitheron the CD-ROM itself or on magnetic floppy discs.The most common practice at this time is to pro-vide the software on separate floppies which givesvendors greater flexibility to update the software.

l A CD-ROM information product.Certain CD-ROM applications may require a specific

type of monitor. Graphics-oriented products like theChadwyck-Healy map product require high-resolutionmonitors. The PC may require a VGA or video graphicsarray monitor and card to permit legible text and a largerpalette of colors allow the CD-ROM application appear onthe monitor as its publisher intended.

Figure IV.lA A Typical CD-ROM System

- --._. --.--~ -

IBM Compatible PC

interface or with Fixed Disk Drive

Controller Card

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The Disc Drive

The CD-ROM system consists of a disc drive or playerand disc. In the drive, the CD-ROM disc spins initially atabout 150 RPM. Once underway, the rotating speed of aCD-ROM disc ranges from 200 RPM at the outer edge of thedisc and 530 RPM at the disc’s inner track. The mechanicaldevices needed to compensate for the rotational dif-ference and to read the data which are placed on the discin a continuous spiral contribute to the higher cost of theoptical drive.

Access time--that is, the time it takes the optical headto read and transfer data to the personal computer--of thediscis directly related to the speed with whichit is rotating.CD-ROM drives rotate less rapidly than the average fixedor hard disc drives, which spin at about 3,600 RPM.

The Data Disc

The compact disc is reliable, permanent, and durable.A single disc has a storage capacity of up to 600 megabytesor 200 books with 1,000 pages each or 1,500 5.25-inch, 360K floppy disks or more than 350 1.2 Mb floppy disks.

As mentioned earlier, the compact disc carries asingle spiral track that starts at the center of the disc andworks its way outward. Machine-readable information--the 1s and OS of digital data--is stored on the disc as a seriesofpits or grooves and lands or flat spaces. When a disc isinserted into a CD-ROM drive, these microscopic pits ap-pear as bumps from beneath the disc and scatter the lightfrom the laser. Lands (the flat places) reflect the light fromthe laser. This scattering and rellecting process is con-verted and translated into a digital signal inside the CD-

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ROM drive. Error correction routines ensure that no dataare misread. These error correction techniques are morestringent than the error correction routines for audio CDplayers. The cost of the optical drive for an informationproduct carries a higher price than the consumer audio CDplayer.

The Personal Computer

The CD-ROM drive is attached to a microcomputer asan add-on peripheral. Information is retrieved from thedisc by software included on the disc and installed in thePC.

Although there are a number of CD-ROMproducts forthe Apple Macintosh@ and Apple II<;& the majority of theCD-ROM products aimed at the corporate and librarymarket require an IBM-compatible PC. The PC should usePC-DOS or MS-DOS, not UNIX or OS/2 for the operatingsystem.

Most users attach CD-ROM drives to a general pur-pose personal or microcomputer.

Interfaces and Cables

Physical interfaces between the CD-ROM drive andthe PC present a compatibility problem at present. Eachmanufacturer of a CD-ROM drive constructs its own con-troller board. This board must be inserted into the PC toact as an interface to the PC. A cable then connects theinterface card to the CD-ROM. These cables are speciallydesigned for the CD-ROM application and are not general-ly available from the local computer store. It’s a good ideato have back-up cables for the optical drive.

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The two types of controller boards or interfaces mostcommonly encountered today are:

l SASI or Shugart Associates Standard Interface.This type of interface waits for a peripheral--theCD-ROM--to execute a command before going tothe next task. The technical name for this approachis bit serial.

l SCSI or Small Computer System Interface. Thisterm is pronounced sc~zzy by the CD-ROMhardware and software crowd. The SCSI interfacedoes not wait for a CD-ROM to execute a command;it goes promptly to the next operation. The techni-cal name for this approach is byte parallel. SCSI isbecoming the preferred CD-ROM interface formany drive manufacturers because it offers someperformance advantages. It is the approach used byall Apple-compatible CD-ROM drives.

l Cables. A cable is used to connect the controllerboard or interface installed in the PC to the CD-ROM drive.

There are several important questions to ask beforeyou buy any CD-ROM product. The primary ones to answerfirst are:

l Does this drive have a SCSI interface?

l Is assistance provided in installing the controllerboard or card into the PC‘? You will have to takeyour PC apart in order to inslall the controller card.

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l Is a cable provided to connect the CD-ROM drive tothe PC? If not, find out what you need and whereyou can get one.

l Does the CD-ROM install itself? If the answer is yes,find out what the installationprogramwill do to thecomputer’s AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.Some installation programs modify or rename andreplace your AUTOEXECBAT and CONFIG.SYSfiles. Changing these files may affect the operationof the PC when started again or reboot it. In w TrialInstallation, there is furtller discussion of theAUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files.

Software

Questions about the software associated with CD-ROM must be asked, and the vendor must provide com-plete, understandable answers. The software is the mostpersonal aspect of the CD-ROM system because users willexperience it each time the machine is used.

Interface and Menus

The most important features to examine are thesearch software and user interface. To assess the software,you must, of course, use it yourself.

CD-ROM interfaces vary widely. In fact, when compar-ing the three disc versions of ERIC:, for example, the prin-cipal differences among the products are the interfaces.The majority of today’s disc products use some type of amenu to allow the user to access the data. A menu isessentially a selection of options from which the user

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picks. There is no standardization in menu design. Someare horizontally placed across the top of the screen follow-ing the approach taken by Lotus l-2-3. Menus can appearacross the bottom of the screen as well. Others use a singlelist of options in the center of screen, a technique usedwith great effect by UMI. A third approach is a techniqueborrowed from the Apple Macintosh with pull-downmenus. The user highlights a word or icon and a box openson the screen showing other selections. A few CD-ROMproducts allow the user to enter commands directly. TheDialog OnDisc@ products provide this feature to allowexperienced searchers to break fret of the menu structurewhich can limit search flexibility.

The issue of user interface is a complex and importanttopic. It is essential that each CD-ROM product’s interfacebe experimented with. Searchers need to evaluate theinterface and make notes about the strengths and weak-nesses of the software. These evaluations can providevaluable information about ease of use, retrieval sophis-tication, problems, and flexibility.

After developing some familiarity with CD-ROM,evaluate the software by answering these questions:

l Are the interface instructions and menus easy toread and understand?

l Does the interface allow users to type the firstletter of the choice or must arrow keys be used tomake a selection?

l Do menu choices provide ;I ~i~ck)w offering morein-depth explanation?

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Commands

Most search software allows users to enter commandscomparable to those used for Dialog” Information Ser-vices online system or a similar system. Evaluate the com-mand system by answering these questions:

l Are the commands clear or in jargon?

l Do they require a keyboard template to identifyfunctions? Is it provided along with the software?

l Is there a HELP feature to highlight function keys?

l Do commands provide a window offering furtherexplanation?

l Is there enough on-screen explanation to makedocumentation unnecessary or at least optional?

Search Features

CD-ROM users often want to use an earlier version ofa search late in the search session. Many CD-ROMproductsdo not allow the user to take shortcuts which can greatlyreduce keystrokes and lessen the time required to com-plete a search. Evaluate save and search features byanswering these questions:

l Can search strategies be saved for later use?

l Is Boolean search capability offered?

l Can truncation be used in search terms?

l Is field searching an option?

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l Does the system provide a status on the percent ofthe search completed?

Downloading Features

With increasing computer Ii teracy, CD-ROM users donot want to capture the results of their search on a paperprint out. Instead they want to download the results oftheir search to a floppy disc. Evaluate the CD-ROMproduct’s downloading features by answering these ques-tions:

l Is downloading offered?

l Can information be downloaded in a variety offormats including ASCII?

l Is the download procedure easy to follow for anovice user?

l Can a portion of a collection or search bedownloaded?

l Are there prompts or help screens to ensure thatdownloading is directed to the appropriate drive inthe PC?

l How fast is downloading completed?

l Does the system provide a SQUALLS on the percent ofthe download completed’!

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Enhancements

The newer CD-ROM products are offering featuresthat make the system more responsive to the needs of theusers. Evaluate the system under consideration by answer-ing these questions:

l Does the software indicate where the data comesfrom? This is particularly important when severaldatabases contribute information to a single CD-ROM.

l Does the software have editing capabilities forinformation retrieved?

l Is there a screening feature that allows informationretrieval based on pre-selected criteria; for ex-ample, sales, geography, or line of business?

l Are wide reports sent to the printer in a com-pressed format, or do printer specifications have tobechanged?

l Are communications enhancements provided, al-lowing connection to an online database?

l Are security, client usage, or charge-back featuresoffered?

l Can users see titles or full text?

l Is Key Word in Context (KWIC:) display provided?

Minimum CD-ROM Capabilities

No CD-ROM is perfect; compromises are necessary tobalance features, information, and budget. When a CD-

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ROM system is acquired, make certain that it providesthese basic functions:

Reliability

The system must have a proven performance trackrecord. Talk to others who have acquired the same system.Be certain that these components have an excellent recordof reliability:

l The data.

l The software.

l Downloading and printing capabilities.

l Ease of use.

l On-disc help.

Explanation of the Installation Procedure

As mentioned before, the installation procedures canbe automatic or manual. Regardless of the approach thevendor takes, make absolutely certain that you know whatthe installation requires you to do and what the impact ofthe installation will be on your computer. If you do notknow what your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files are,get help from the vendor or from someone in your or-ganization. Make certain that the CD-ROM has at leastthese features:

l Quick-start instructions.

l In-depth documentation.

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l Telephone help line, preferably an 800 number.Make certain you know the time zone the help staffare in.

Technical Do’s and Don’ts

l Make sure you get current specifications and thatyou understand them. Seek help from the vendorif you don’t.

l Don’t buy without trying. ‘I’he vendor should bewilling to install for you or bring a demonstrationversion to your location.

l Have some familiarity with MS-DOS. Get a simple,easy to understand manual with a complete index.The basic documentation that comes with the PCis written in a peculiar form of prose which defiestranslation by most of us. Supplement your refer-ence shelf with one of the books listed in the IXForFurther Reading.

l Know how to modify your MS-DOS files. Get aneditor that’s easy to use, preferably one which letsyou use the full screen. We recommend the publicdomain editor TED.EXE available without char@on many bulletin board systems, CompuServe ,and BIX@ or Pathminder”, Version 4.11 fromWestlake Data Corp.’ The key to the editor youuse is that it be able to produce ASCII files.

l Make sure that your system works before you in-stall the CD-ROM. This includes your hard drive,the printer, and other peripherals. If you encounter

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IV Technology Essentials- --_.__..-_ -

problems with the CD-ROM installation, trouble-shooting can begin with the CD-ROM. Technicalsupport people will always suggest that the prob-lem is caused by a component other than the onethey sold you.

l You can save money by buying pieces separately,but you will have to put them together yourself anddeal with multiple vendors. The less technicalknowledge you have, the more difficult this ap-proach is. The more technical knowledge you have,the more advantageous this approach is.

l Know what kind of equipment you have. This in-cludes the type of CD-ROM drive and the specificcontroller card it uses. Have the type of hard driveand the type of controller it uses, the model of theprinter you will use, and the memory configurationof your computer system at hand as well. A realplus is being able to test your printer and CD-ROMdrive during the installation process to verify com-patibility.

Some Final Thoughts

The CD-ROM system is not a garden-variety personalcomputer. A number of tricks and traps await anyone whoinstalls and uses a CD-ROM product. The key to success ispatience and preparation.

Do not undertake the installation of a CD-ROMproduct unless you can answer yes to these statements:

l I know what the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is, and I canchange its settings to meet lriy operational require-

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ments. (See Appendix C: Sample AUTOEXEC.BATand CONFIG.SYS Files.)

l I know what the CONFIGSYS file is, and I can addor remove device drivers as necessary.

l I know the components of my system, includingtheir model numbers.

l I have opened my computer’s case and installedperipherals before.

l I have an MS-DOS or PC-DOS reference manual andhave read it.

Note’ Pathminder is the brand name of an elegant hard-

disk manager. The program provides a Lotus-style inter-face which gives the user access to most of the DOS file anddirectory commands. In addition, Pathminder provides adirectory view of the hard disk; a fast, easy-to-use texteditor, and dozens of touches that make hard-diskmanagement effortless. Con tact Westlake Data Corp. atP.O. Box 1711, Austin, TX 78767; telephone: 512-328-1041.

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IV Technology Essentials__-.--.__

Appendix A: Common CD-ROM Drives

CD-ROM DriveAmdek LaserDrive 1Denon DRD-%X/25XDenon DRD-.%X/25XHitachi CDR-1503sHitachi CDR-2500Hitachi CDR-1502sPhilips CM1 10Philips CM210Philips ~~100Philips 201Philips ~~100Philips CM201Sony CDU-100Sony ~~~-5002Sony CDU-5 10Toshiba XM SeriesToshiba XM Series

ControllerCD-IF14ASC88 SCSIXebec cardCD-IF14CD-IF14CD-IF13ASC88 SCSIASC88 SCSICM.153CM153(.‘M 155(.‘M155

(.‘DB-200

CD&200

CDB-210

ASC88 SCSIToshiba

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Appendix B: Equipment Checklist

1. Personal computer required:IBM PC qXT (8088 or 6086)60366 II

2. Specific compatibleBrandModel Number

3. Fixed (hard) disk requirementsSize

4. RAM required640K q

5. Monitor requiredMonochrome qEGA q

6. Floppy disk driveYF

uired360K72OK 0

7. Modem required1200 baud internal1200 baud external

PS/2 ModelAT (80286)Other q

TypeManufacturer

Access speed

Other

VGAOversized :

1.2Mb1.44Mb B

2400 baud internal2400 baud external

Other

8.. CD-ROM driveBrandModel Number

qSCSI interfaceOther specifications

9. Network considerationsNetwork type

10. PrinterType ~Manufacturer

I 1. Software required

TypeManufacturerSASI interface q

Network software

M o d e l N u m b e r ~

Ser ia l /Para l le l ___

MSCDEX Text retrievalScreen capture Word processing 6

Spreadsheet n Other

12. Special requirements

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Appendix C: Sample AUTOEXEC.BAT andCONFIG.SYS Files

Sample AUTOEXEC.BAT

asEcho Off

Date

Time

Path = C:\App

$PWMSCDEX.Exe/d:mscdOOO/M:8

as

Menu

Sample CONFIG.SYS

LastDrive = 2

Files = 20

Buffers = 20

Device = Hhitachi.sys/D:mscdOOO /u:2

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IVTechnology Essentialsarnoldit.com/articles/book/ManagingBook/Managing4.pdfthe Apple Macintosh@ and Apple II