- Recently I posted an inquiry about available CD-ROM software and Sun's CD-ROM drive
audio sound quality.
- Apparently someone in Sun Microsystem read it, since they sent me the Catalyst
CDWare compact disk #2. Thanks, guys.
- Since we've also received some other software on CD and more is expected, we threw in
the towel (:-) and put in our order for the drive.
- Here is a summary of the responses (quotes and/or opinions, not MY opinions):
Why Buy a CD-ROM Drive:
-----------------------
- All Sun's software release after 4.1.1 will be on CD. Same for patches.
- It costs Sun around $10 to put stuff on a CD, compared to $50 or more to
put stuff on cartridge tape. The savings are significant [AJK: for Sun, not for me (:-)]
- Sun will not release hard copy manuals after 4.1.1 and/or will raise the price of the hard-cover
manuals in order to force people to move to CD-ROM manuals.
- It's MUCH faster to install from CD than tape.
- CD won't wear out and get bad spots like tape.
- Sun is now shipping *everything* on CD. They are going to make the other media prices much higher
to encourage users to start using CD's.
- As far as I know IBM and DEC are starting to do the same thing.
Related Replies:
----------------
- [This relates to on-line CD database, not installation CD's]:
CD-ROM is great, but access is slow. Invest in one CD-ROM drive, and the rest of your money
in fast, big disks then copy the CD-ROM software to the disk[s].
- It is best to stay with the Sun product. I know of some people that cannot boot from
their non-Sun CD-ROM.
Available/Expected CD-ROM Software:
-----------------------------------
- Sun gives a special offer to buy a shoe-box with disk & CD-ROM.
- Sun discounts your maintenance contract if you switch to CD as your preferred media.
- 2 volumes of Catalyst demos (many are actually real software that
just needs an activation password).
- CorporateFax, from Comp. Signal Corp. (They added in all the GNU stuff to fill up the CD.)
- There is also a CD from:
Highland Software, 1001 Elwell Court, Palo Alto, CA 94303
(415) 493-8567
The CD is called the Software Store. So far, there is only volume 1.
They also provide CDs for HP/Apollo, DEC, and IBM.
- Young Minds has some interesting things, and there are a lot of non-Sun
specific things that you can pick up - mapping data, marketing info, some books now...
- NCSA just released a CDROM with graphics stuff on it at Siggraph.
- Tigre software is even offering a CDROM based adventure game with sound.
- Clarity will ship their Rapport product on CD-ROM. There are some databases like the Encyclopedia
Brittanica. etc.
- Vendors keep shipping software (Island Write, ALL of Sun's newly released software like
NeWSPrint, Video Pix, and The NeWS Toolkit) on CD instead of tape.
CD-ROM Audio:
-------------
- The jury is still out about the quality. The majority of responders claim the quality
is close to a regular CD player. A few even say it's high quality, but some say it's
inferior to a CD-player.
- It's better than /dev/audio.
- There are no phone jacks outside, only inside the box.
Thanks to:
Matt Cohen [sysnmc@chron.com]
Bob Cunningham [bob@kahala.soest.hawaii.edu]
Oran Davis [oran@spg.amdahl.com]
Jim Duncan [jim@math.psu.edu]
Per Eriksson [perixon@dsv.su.se]
Christopher Hoover [ch@mumble.lks.csi.com]
Michael R. Hotz [hotz@teale.ca.gov]
Jim Knutson [knutson@mcc.com]
Bob Netherton [exurln@exurchn1.ericsson.se]
Antonis Kyriazis [akyr@helios.intracom.gr]
Mike Raffety [miker@trinity.sbcoc.com]
Carl Rigney [cdr@kpc.com]
Bob Rutherford [rr6204@moses.ids]
Fred Seals [fred@spindletop.tamu.edu]
Kevin Sheehan [kevins@fourx.Aus.Sun.COM]
James P. Sisul [sisul@bmskc.PPG.COM]
Earl Smith [earl@cs.columbia.edu]
Robert Terzi [rct@fid.Morgan.COM]
Liza Weissler [liza@moose.rand.org]
Vince Westin [vince@solbourne.com]
David Williams [exudnw@exurchn1.ericsson.se]
Jan ? [jan@alm.ii.uib.no]
- Mike Raffety [miker@trinity.sbcoc.com] adds this note:
>>> The audio quality is identical to what you get from any other CD
>>> player. Note, though, that there are TWO kinds of CD "sound" on a Sun;
>>> true CD sound, which your Sun has no data access to (just control over
>>> playback) and requires earphones or some such to listen to, and also
>>> lower-quality sound, that you get by reading a data file on the CD into
>>> your SPARC, and then playing it through the built-in DAC and the
>>> built-in speaker or earphone jack.
And a non-related, personal plea:
My mail gateway (and probably others around the world) trashes the "From:" and
"Return-Path:" mail header fields. Thus it would be very helpful if people will
either add a "Reply-To:" field in their mail header, or append a .signature file,
containing, at the least, their email address and their name.
-- Amir
>>> Please use the address in 'Reply-To', not the 'From'. <<<
/* Amir J. Katz | Internet: amir%pilat.UUCP@taux01.nsc.com */
/* System Manager | Voice: +972 52-570713 */
/* Silvaco Israel Ltd. | Fax: +972 52-570719 */
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