Aminet 1 (Walnut Creek)/Aminet - June 1993 [Walnut Creek].iso/aminet/text/docs/cdrom1993.txt

Text File | 1993-05-06 | 47KB | 1,213 lines

INTRODUCTION

    Here are the results of a USENET survey of Amiga CD-ROM that I
conducted during Spring, 1993.  This article contains information about
hardware setups, CD-ROM filesystem software, popular CD-ROM discs, and
reported solutions to common problems.  I am very pleased about how many
people responded to the survey, and this article has turned out much longer
than I had expected!

    I conducted a similar survey in early 1992; however, the new one
received 4 times as many responses (44 versus 11), and the results are over
3 times as long (1200 versus 370 lines).  The 1992 survey is available by
ftp from math.uh.edu in the comp.sys.amiga.reviews archives, or by
electronic mail from [e-mail].

    Below, you will find many tables of data as well as quotes from
individual users about their setups.  As you read this survey, PLEASE keep
in mind that there are many variables in a CD-ROM setup:

    o    Amiga model
    o    AmigaDOS version
    o    SCSI controller
    o    CD-ROM drive
    o    CD-ROM filesystem software ("driver")
    o    Particular CD-ROM discs

As a result, when someone reports a problem, it is not easy to know the true
cause.  So read all complaints with this in mind:  what failed on one
person's setup may work on yours, or vice-versa.

    Any opinions that appear inside quotes belong to the respondent who
said them, not me.  (Any opinions not enclosed in quotes are mine.)  I have
kept the quotes anonymous; however, I will make the full text of all
responses available if people are interested.  (On the survey form, I
explained that the finished product would contain quotes, and anybody who
wanted to remain anonymous should say so in advance.  None of the
respondents requested anonymity.)

    If you notice any errors in this survey, please report them to me
at e-mail address [e-mail].  I will fix them and post an update.


COMMON PROBLEMS REPORTED AND SOLVED

    Several common CD-ROM problems were reported and solved by the survey
respondents, and the solutions are in this article.  They include:

    o    Amiga won't boot when no disc is in the drive.
        (See the section SURVEY QUESTIONS AND RESULTS, question (5).)

    o    WShell/FComp and AsimCDFS problem with filename completion.
        (See "About AsimCDFS" in the section SURVEY QUESTIONS AND
        RESULTS, question (6).)

    o    Accents/foreign characters in filenames are mishandled.
        (See "About AsimCDFS" in the section SURVEY QUESTIONS AND
        RESULTS, question (6).)

    o    How to read/display PhotoCD's.
        (See "PhotoCD" in the section SURVEY QUESTIONS AND RESULTS,
        question (11).)

    o    Making the GVP Series II controller work properly with
        a CD-ROM drive but no hard disk.
        (See "Hardware Compatibility and Tips" in the section SURVEY
        QUESTIONS AND RESULTS, question (11).)


THE STATE OF AMIGA CD-ROM

    Despite the words of some "doom-sayers" on the Net, CD-ROM is easy
to add to any Amiga with a SCSI interface and getting cheaper all the time.
All three of the major CD-ROM filesystems (AsimCDFS, CDROM-FS, and Xetec)
work properly, and many different drives are supported by them.  In general,
users are very happy with their CD-ROM setups.

    To connect a CD-ROM to your Amiga, you need a SCSI controller and
CD-ROM filesystem software.  Assuming you already have a SCSI controller,
you should next read the "compatibility lists" supplied by the filesystem
software vendors to see which SCSI controllers and CD-ROM drives are
supported.  (A limited compatibility table is given below, in the section
SURVEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, question (6), but THIS TABLE IS NOT
COMPLETE.)  Next, you should compare CD-ROM drive specifications to find
which of the compatible drives is best for you and within your price range.
Finally, buy the drive and the filesystem software, hook things up, and
you're done!

    As you will see below, there are many CD-ROM discs available for the
Amiga; not as many as for the Macintosh and IBM PC, but still quite a few.
Approximately 100 different titles were listed by the survey respondents,
though some of them were not Amiga-specific.  A number of respondents
complained about Commodore's lack of commitment to CD-ROM, as it is more
widespread on the Mac and PC.

    An important issue for Amiga CD-ROM owners is CDTV compatibility.
The CDTV has some features (notably CDXL) that may not work on a SCSI CD-ROM
equipped Amiga.  In addition, CDTV currently runs AmigaDOS 1.3, so some
incorrectly-written software appearing on CD-ROM may not run properly under
AmigaDOS 2.0 or higher.


SURVEY ISSUES

    This year, I remembered to pay attention to which SCSI controller
was used on each Amiga.  (In 1992, I ignored this issue.)  However, I forgot
to ask people for the version number of the CD-ROM filesystem software they
are running.  As a result, some people's complaints about the software
possibly have already been solved in later versions.


THE ELEVEN SURVEY QUESTIONS, AND RESULTS

    This section contains all of the survey questions and their answers.
Rather than show all the text of all the responses, I have tried to present
the information in a readable and helpful format.  However, this approach
loses a little information.  If there is interest, as I said above, I can
make the full text of all responses available.  Let me know.

(1)  Tell us about your Amiga

The following table summarizes how many respondents use each Amiga model,
SCSI controller, and AmigaDOS version.

AMIGA        SCSI            USERS WITH AMIGADOS VERSION  |    USER
MODEL        CONTROLLER        1.3    2.04    2.1    3.0  |    TOTAL
=============================================================================
A500        GVP Series II        1        1         |    2
A500 & AdSpeed    Dataflyer 500            1             |    1
A500        IVS GrandSlam 500    1    1    1         |    3
A500+        ?                1             |    1
---------------------------------------------------------------------+-------
A2000        ?                1             |    1
A2000        GVP Series I            1             |    1
A2000        GVP Combo            1    1         |    2
A2000        GVP Series II            1    1         |    2
A2000        GVP G-Force            2    1    1    |    4
A2000 & A30001    A2091                    1         |    1
A2000 & Mega-MR    A2091                2             |    2
A2000 & A2630    A2091                1             |    1
A2500        A2091                1    1    1    |    3
A2500        IVS Trumpcard Pro        1             |    1
A2500/030    A2091                1             |    1
A2500/030    Microbotics Hardframe        1             |    1
A2500/030    CMI Multiport Board            1         |    1
---------------------------------------------------------------------+-------
A3000        internal            4    5    1    |  10
A3000 & 68040    internal                    1    |    1
A3000T        internal            1    3         |    4
A3000UX        internal                1    2    |    3
---------------------------------------------------------------------+-------
A4000/040    GVP Series II                    2    |    2
A4000/040    A2091                        2    |    2
=============================================================================
TOTAL        -            2    21    17    10   |    50

Summarizing by Amiga model:

    A500  series:                 7
    A2000 series:                21
    A3000 series:                18
    A4000 series:                 4
    ============================================
    TOTAL                    50

Summarizing by SCSI controller:

    CMI Multiport Board:            1
    Commodore A2091:            10
    Commodore A3000/A3000T internal:    18
    Dataflyer 500:                1
    GVP Combo:                2
    GVP G-Force:                4
    GVP Series I:                1
    GVP Series II:                6
    IVS GrandSlam 500:            3
    IVS Trumpcard Pro:            1
    Microbotics Hardframe:            1
    unknown:                2
    ============================================
    TOTAL                    50


NOTES:  There were only 44 respondents.  Some users had several Amigas,
several AmigaDOS versions, or several SCSI controllers.  Some respondents
were developers, which is why you see AmigaDOS 3.0 on non-AGA Amigas.

(2) Tell us about your CD-ROM drive.

BRAND        MODEL        ACCESS (ms)    DATA (KB/s)    INT EXT    TOTAL
=============================================================================
Apple        CD-150        380        150         -   1     1
Apple        CD-300        360/295        300         -   1     1
Chinon/Xetec    CDX-431        350        150         1   5     6
Chinon        CDX-435        350-380        125-150         2   1     3
Commodore    A690        ?        ?         -   1     1
Hitachi        CDR-1750S    340        ?         -   1     1
Hitachi        CDR-3750    300        150         1   -     1
NEC        CDR-102        500        150         -   1     1
NEC        CDR-25        600        150         -   2     2
NEC        CDR-74        280        270-300         -   1     1
NEC        CDR-80        500        150         -   1     1
Panasonic    CDR-501        ?        150         1   2     3
Pioneer        DRM-604x    < 300        612         -   1     1
Sony        CD-300        280        300         1   -     1
Sony        CDU-541        300        150         -   1     1
Toshiba        XM-3201        330-350        150         4   1     5
Toshiba        XM-3301        320        150         4   3     7
Toshiba        XM-3401        200        330         -   5     5
=============================================================================
TOTALS        -        -        -        14  28    42

NOTES:
    ACCESS is the average access time in milliseconds.  DATA is the
    average data rate in kilobytes per second.  INT and EXT refer to
    internal and external CD-ROM drives.

    2 access times separated by a slash ("/") indicates a "double speed"
    drive, with normal/double speeds listed.

    A range of speeds (e.g., 350-380) means that different respondents
    reported different speeds.

    The Chinon 431 is the drive in the Xetec package.

    I have lumped together the internal and external versions of drives.
    For example, the NEC CDR-74 is simply an external CDR-84.

    Matshusita and Panasonic are the same company; I used the name
    Panasonic.

Summarizing the above chart, here are the CD-ROM drives in order of
popularity:

    DRIVE                NUMBER OF OWNERS
    ============================================
    Toshiba XM-3301            7
    Chinon CDX-431            6
    Toshiba XM-3201            5
    Toshiba XM-3401            5
    Chinon CDX-435            3
    Panasonic/Matshusita CDU-501    3
    Sony                2
    NEC CDR-25            2
    (11 other drives)         (1 each)

    In the 1992 survey, the most popular drives were the Chinon CDX-431
(offered by Xetec as a package) and the NEC CDR-80.  (The CDR-80 was offered
at a cheap price by DAK, a mailorder company, and many Amigans grabbed it.)

(3) Why did you choose this particular drive?

    The most common reasons were:

    RESPONSES    REASON
    ===============================================================
    23        Price
    7        Offered as part of a bundle/package
    6        Speed
    6        Supported by particular CD-ROM filesystem
    5        Reputation of drive manufacturer
    4        Magazine reviews, dealer/friend recommendation
    4        Refurbished drive (therefore cheap)
    4        Support for standards (CD-XA, PhotoCD, SCSI II, etc.)
    2        Compatibility with existing setup
    2        Other features
    1        Already had one in my PC
    1        Availability
    1        Multi-disc changer
    1        Portable

(4) Is your drive installed horizontally or vertically?  Can your drive be
    installed vertically, according to the documentation?

    Most modern CD-ROM drives can be used vertically.  Many of
respondents did not know if vertical installation works since the
documentation did not mention it.  However, some drives definitely do not
work vertically, such as:

        Chinon CDX-431 (used by Xetec in their bundle)

If you are in doubt, contact the CD-ROM drive manufacturer.

(5) Does your Amiga boot properly if there is no disc in the CD-ROM drive?

    Many respondents had problems with proper booting.  Stefan Becker
([e-mail]) offers the following solution to
the problem:

    a)    Set the CD-ROM SCSI ID to something high, such as 6.
        (Note that many Amigas come with their hard drives set as
        unit 6, so you'll have to change the dipswitches.)
    b)    Power off the CD-ROM drive.  (I don't know how this is
        done with an internal drive. - Dan)
    c)    Configure your SCSI hard drive with HDToolBox.
    d)    "The SCSI HD with the highest SCSI ID will get a bit set in
        the RDB (LastDrive), which tells the SCSI controller on
        boot-up not to look for additional drives after this one."

This method was also reported by Eric Lavitsky ([e-mail]), who
says he "set the 'last drive' on my hard disk to make sure that the CD
wasn't searched, especially since each SCSI LUN would be searched (I enabled
LUN's in the battmem)."

    Several other respondents had similar solutions.  In general, I have
heard that if you set your CD-ROM's SCSI ID to a higher number than your
boot drive, then the problem disappears.

(6) What software driver do you use?

COMPANY                PRODUCT            NUMBER OF USERS
=======================================================================
Asimware            AsimCDFS            18
Xetec                CDX                17
Canadian Prototype Replicas    CDROM-FS            12
Ralph Babel            BabelCDROMFS            1
(none)                ordinary Amiga filesystem    1
=======================================================================
TOTAL                                47

    In the 1992 survey, there were 7 people using CDROM-FS and 4
people using the Xetec software.  AsimCDFS had not yet been released, and
BabelCDROMFS was (and still is, I think) relatively unknown.

    Eight respondents (and two non-respondents that I know personally)
reported using more than one filesystem, and some people said they preferred
one over the other.  These results include:

    AsimCDFS vs. Xetec:
        Preferred AsimCDFS:    1
        Preferred Xetec:    5
        No preference:        1
    AsimCDFS vs. CDROM-FS:
        Preferred AsimCDFS:    1
        Preferred CDROM-FS:    1
        No preference:        1
    CDROM-FS vs. Xetec:
        Preferred CDROM-FS:    0
        Preferred Xetec:    1
        No preference:        0

    The following are comments that various respondents had about their
filesystem software.  Please NOTE that many people did not say what VERSION
NUMBER of the software they are using.  Therefore, some of the problems
reported may have been fixed already.  It is very possible that a user, when
encountering a problem, switched to a different filesystem and never tried
the later versions of the first filesystem.  Contact the vendor if you have
questions about compatibility and problems.

   About AsimCDFS:

    SUMMARY:  Most AsimCDFS users were happy with the software, but many
    of them were not using the most recent version.

    "The latest version (1.1b) works fine.  I've been told by several
    people that the Xetec and CDROM-FS drivers are both faster than
    AsimCDFS.  I've had excellent support from Asimware:  reported a
    bunch of bugs, they were all fixed fairly quickly, and Asimware sent
    me the bugfixed versions for free (presumably because I reported the
    bugs... normally upgrades cost a few dollars).  AsimCDFS 2.0 is
    supposed to have some really cool features, including more CDTV
    compatibility, when it comes out."

    "The software is pretty decent.  I would like better compatibility
    with the CDTV via software and I'd also like to be able to run the
    CDXL disks, such as the NASA 25th Year disk.  Also, the CD music
    player program could use some tweaking.  I'd like to be able to
    program in which tracks are played on a given CD, as well as be able
    to loop certain tracks and skip others."

    "Filename completion with WShell's 'FComp' program doesn't always
    work...."

        This problem was due to a bug in AsimCDFS which has been
        FIXED in the latest version of AsimCDFS.  (Technical note:
        it was treating a NULL return value from ParentDir() as an
        error rather than a "root directory" indication.)

    "Filenames with 'accents' or foreign characters in them aren't
    recognized...."

        This problem is due to faulty CD-ROM disc mastering with an
        old "beta" version of the mastering software.  For example,
        it showed up in Hypermedia Concepts' "Fred Fish Collection"
        version 1.5.  It is fixed in version 1.6 of this particular
        disc; contact your CD-ROM disc vendor if you experience it
        elsewhere.

        I have had reports that some filesystems (Xetec and
        BabelCDROMFS) were robust enough to handle the bugs, while
        other software (AsimCDFS) could not.

    "Asim software locked up the SCSI bus during large transfers to hard
    disk which Xetec has no problem with."

    If you use a GVP controller, gvpscsi.library version 4.4 or later is
    required.  Contact GVP if you need an update.

   About CDROM-FS

    SUMMARY:  Most respondents were happy with CDROM-FS, but there were
    some common complaints, below.

    "No complaints."

    "...there was NO opportunity to register for upgrades, so if/when
    Mac and CDTV ability occurs, how will I know about it and/or not
    have to pay for it?"

    "I am least happy with CDROM-FS.  It came with no manual and no
    warranty/registration card.  Where do you get updates?"

    "Works fine, though I can't seem to reach CPR for any info on
    updates.  Hypermedia (the Fish folks) say that the latest version
    handles PhotoCD.  I can't verify this, because I haven't heard about
    how to upgrade.  I might buy the Xetec or Asim versions, since I
    hear they offer decent support."

    "I am not happy with CDROM-FS by Canadian Prototype.  If I try to
    back up a CD onto 8mm Exabyte tape, the device driver crashes after
    about 4-5 hours of use.  This also happens if I use it for 4-5 hours
    without using the backup program. (using both Ami-Back or TAR)"

   About Xetec

    SUMMARY:  Xetec was overwhelmingly praised by its users.  It appears
    to be a solid, reliable product.

    "Xetec's software thinks CD-ROM's with long volume names (like the
    CD-ROM's from Profit Press) is a file and won't let me access them
    (in the version I use)."

    "I am happiest with the Xetec software because they have periodic
    updates that I can download from their BBS."

    "I'm stunned what you get for $50 from Xetec: 2 discs, a bunch of
    programs, ARexx scripts, and even code to roll your own programs to
    control the disc.  Pretty nice."

    "Getting my own copy was not so easy, as it seems that only way to
    get Xetec's software is to order it straight from them."

    "Very happy, no complaints.  Installation was a breeze.
    Documentation very clear and concise.  Active BBS support which I
    appreciate."

    "The Xetec CDFS works great whether using Audio or Data CD's.
    Directory Opus sometimes will not list all directories on the disc
    so I usually have to get a directory listing from the Shell to
    verify DirOpus' output.  I've only used one CDTV disc and it works
    fine.  ImageMaster v9.50 from Black Belt Systems seems to have a
    problem loading GIFs from the CD-ROM drive.  It crashes or hangs my
    system and generates numerous Enforcer hits when attempting to load
    from the CD.  Imagemaster loads from the hard drive(s) fine (most
    times)."

    "Works like a charm. And Xetec nicely answered my fax asking if their
    package supported [my system]. No major flaws apart from some minor
    display problems in the install program and a tendency to not fully
    play a track on audio CD's..."

    "I heartily recommend the Xetec CD-ROM Filesystem. It works like a
    charm and v1.63 is rewritten to be 2.1/3.0 aware..."

   About BabelCDROMFS

    SUMMARY:  Few people know about this filesystem.  It is *not*
    freeware, though a copy was illegally posted on USENET in early 1993.

    "Works like a charm. The only little problem is with the diskchange,
    as it is not always detected.  This is a problem of Commodore's
    scsi.device."

   About Commodore's A690

    No third-party filesystem is necessary; it appears as a normal
    AmigaDOS device.

    "When booting on the CD-ROM drive, computer resets when CD is
    removed.  Sad, since [the disc] contains Workbench and all DOS
    commands."

    "When playing CD+G music CD's, can't get my machine to STOP, REW, FF,
    or even return to main menu. The manual doesn't say very much about
    CD+G's.  Anyone know how this works?"

    Here is a table SCSI/CD-ROM/filesystem combinations that were
reported to work by the respondents.  THIS TABLE IS NOT COMPLETE -- there are
many more combinations that work.  Check the documentation for the different
filesystems, which generally lists the drives and controllers that it works
with.  When in doubt, before spending your money, contact the company that
makes the filesystem and ask about your particular setup.

SCSI Controller        CD-ROM Drive        Filesystem    Comments
============================================================================
CBM A2091        Chinon CDX-431        A, X        10
            Chinon CDX-435        X
            NEC CDR-25        X
            Panasonic CR-501    A, C, X        9
            Sony CDU-541        X
            Toshiba XM-3201        A, C, X        7
            Toshiba XM-3301        A, X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBM A3000 internal    Apple CD-300        A, B
            Chinon CDX-431        C
            Chinon CDX-435        X
            Hitachi CDR-3750    A, C, X
            NEC CDR-102        C        1
            NEC CDR-25        A        5, 6
            NEC CDR-80        C
            Pioneer CRM-604x    C        2, 3
            Toshiba XM-3201        A
            Toshiba XM-3301        A, C
            Toshiba XM-3401        X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CMI Multiport board    Panasonic CR-501    A, X        9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dataflyer 500        Toshiba XM-3201        A        4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GVP Series I        Toshiba XM-3401        X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GVP Series II        Chinon CDX-431        A
            Hitachi CDR-1750S    C
            NEC CDR-74        A
            Panasonic CR-501    C, X
            Toshiba XM-3301        A, C, X
            Toshiba XM-3401        A, X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GVP Combo        Chinon CDX-431        X
            Chinon CDX-435        C, X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GVP G-Force        Apple CD-150        X        8, 5
            Toshiba XM-3201        A*
            Toshiba XM-3401        A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
IVS Grandslam 500    Toshiba XM-3401        A, C
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
IVS Trumpcard Pro    Toshiba XM-3301        A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microbotics Hardframe    Chinon CDX-431        X
============================================================================

Keys for the above table:

    Key to Filesystems

        A=AsimCDFS, B=BabelCDROMFS, C=CDROM-FS, X=Xetec CDX

    Key to Comments

        1    Sometimes locks up while reading large files.
        2    "I have played CDXL animations from my drive, with
            full 'CDTV' frame rates."
        3    This is a multi-disc drive.
        4    This combination reportedly does not work properly
            on the Workbench.  The CD-ROM disk icon opens but is
            empty.  Works properly on the A2091 though, so it
            may be a Dataflyer or AsimCDFS problem.
        5    Some problems with audio discs in this configuration.
        6    Does not work properly with AMAX II+.
        7    One respondent reported that if a disc is left in
            the drive for a long time, it gets too dusty to read.
        8    "I ... have to use GVPScsiCtrl command to turn off
            disconnect/reconnect for the CD-ROM drive on startup
            before mounting it."
        9    Reselection must be turned off.
        10    One user reports that the SCSI system sometimes hangs
            during heavy disk activity.  Cause is unknown.

    Contact information for the CD-ROM filesystem vendors may be found
at the end of this survey, in the section "VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION."

(7) Which CD-ROM discs do you own?

    Amiga CD-ROM users own a variety of discs.  Here is a list of all
disc titles reported, along with the number of people using each one.  An
asterisk ("*") means that at least one person reported a problem with this
disc -- see question (8) below for more details.

OWNERS    TITLE                    AUTHOR
=============================================================================
27  *    AB20 Amiga CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
1    Acorn Replay Disc (video clips)        ?
1    Advanced Military Systems        Dominion
2   *    American Heritage Encyclopedia        Xiphias
1    Apple CD sampler            Apple
1    Astronomical Catalogs            ADC
1   *    Barney Bear series            ?
3    C User's Group CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
3    Case of the Cautious Condor        ?
6    CATS Developer CD-ROM            Commodore
3    CDPD                    Amalthea
1    CDPD 2                    Amalthea
1    CDTV Welcome Disc            Commodore
4    CICA Microsoft Windows CD-ROM        Walnut Creek
1    Cinderella                ?
3    ClipArt Goliath                ?
1    Connoisseur of Fine Art            ?
2    Danger Hot Stuff            Screen Artists
1    DEC Freeware                Digital Equipment Corporation
2   *    Defender Of the Crown            Cinemaware
1    Demo CD                    Almathera Systems Ltd
9    Desktop Library/Desktop Bookshop    Walnut Creek
1    Dinosaurs For Hire            Wright Works
2    Extreme XXX                Extreme Software
1   *    For Adults Only                Profit Press
14    Fish & More, volumes 1 & 2        Xetec
11    FishMarket                Asimware Innovations
23    Fred Fish Collection            Hypermedia Concepts
4    Fred Fish Online            Hypermedia Concepts
1    The Future Is Now IBM/Mac sampler    EOA
1    Fuzzy Logic 1993 Proceedings        ?
1    Galileo CD-ROM's 1-6            ?
4    Garbo MSDOS/Mac CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
16    GIFs Galore                Walnut Creek
1    Gridded NMC Data (weather data 1946-89)    ?
4   *    Grolier's Encyclopedia            Grolier Incorporated
1   *    Guinness World Records CD (MS-DOS)    ?
1    Hall of Fame (MS-DOS shareware)        Ellis Enterprises
1    Ham Radio                Chestnut CD-ROM
6   *    Heroic Age of Spaceflight, NASA 25 Year    CDTV Publishing
3    Hobbes OS/2 Archive CD-ROM        Walnut Creek
1   *    Hoeren und Sehen CDTV            Commodore
1    HP Laserpro Collection            ?
1   *    Illustrated Shakespeare            Animated Pixels
2    INFO-MAC CD-ROM                Walnut Creek
1    Jets & Props (PC/Mac format files)    Aris Entertainment
2    Knowledge Media Audio 1            Knowledge Media
2    Knowledge Media Graphics 1        Knowledge Media
1   *    Kodak Photo-CD Image Sampler        Kodak
5    Lemmings                Psygnosis
3    Libris Britannia            Walnut Creek
1    Linux Operating System CD-ROM        Walnut Creek
1    Magellan CD-ROM's (7)            ?
1    MediaClips Business Backgrounds        Aris Entertainment
1   *    MegaDemo                Profit Press
1    Microsoft Bookshelf (MS-DOS)        Microsoft
1    MSDOS/Macintosh Collection        SelectWare System
1    NASA Space Sampler Volume 1        Reference Technology Inc.
2    NASA Space Sampler Volume 2        Reference Technology Inc.
2    Nautilus multimedia CD-ROM        Nautilus
1    Neural Network Conference Proceedings    ?
1   *    New Basics Electronic CookBook        Xiphias
1    Nova NeXT CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
1    OS/2 2.1                IBM
2    Our Solar System            Chestnut Software
1    Panoramix (Macintosh)            ?
1    photo CD's (miscellaneous)        -
1    Prime Time Software CD-ROM        Prime Time Software
1   *    Psygnosis DEMO CD 1992            Psygnosis
1    Scary Poems for Rotten Kids        ?
1    Shareware Gold II            Sherbourne Knowledge Systems
1    Shareware Overload (MS-DOS)        Chestnut Software
2    Sim City                Maxis
8    Simtel-20 MSDOS CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
2    SIGGRAPH 1992                SIGGRAPH
1    Software Store Volume 1 for Ultrix    Highland Software
1    Solar Variability Affecting Earth    National Geophysical Data Ctr
12    Source Code CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
1    Space Wars                Odyssey Software
1    Sprite Operating System CD-ROM        Walnut Creek
1    Storm II Giflited GIFs            ?
2    Sun User's Group CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
2    Supercomputing 93 Proceedings        various authors
1   *    Timetable of Business, Politics    & Media    Xiphias
2   *    Timetable of History, Science & Innov.    Xiphias
3    Too Many Typefonts            Chestnut CD-ROM
1    Ultimod (MODS)                Sunset Productions
1   *    US Atlas                ?
1    VGA Spectrum                S&S Enterprises
1    Volcano                    ?
2    Voyagers to the Outer Planets V. 1-12    NASA
1   *    Windows NT                Microsoft
3   *    World Vista Atlas            ?
1    Worldview (PC/Mac format files)        Aris Entertainment
1    X11R4 and GNU                Young Minds, Inc.
1    X11R5 and GNU                Young Minds, Inc.
6    X11R5/GNU CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
1    Young Minds Demo Disc            Young Minds, Inc.
===========================================================================
98    TOTAL TITLES
273    TOTAL DISCS OWNED

    Several respondents reported owning "many" discs but did not list
them.

    In the 1992 survey, only 26 titles (37 discs) were mentioned.

(8) What discs have you tried, but DO NOT WORK CORRECTLY, in your CD-ROM
    drive?  (See above for author names.)

    Once again, remember that these problems may be related to each
respondent's particular CD-ROM setup.

    AB20 Amiga CD-ROM

        Does not work on CDTV.

    American Heritage Encyclopedia

        "It asks for the CDTV bookmark..., which I don't think the
        [Canadian Prototype Replicas] CDROM-FS implements."

        Reportedly works using SetCPU to boot AmigaDOS 1.3.

    Barney Bear series

        Reportedly fails to boot under AmigaDOS 3.0 with 68040.

    Defender of the Crown

        The audio does not work during the game, using Toshiba 3301
        and AsimCDFS.

    Grolier's Encyclopedia

        Several people reported that it "does not work" but did not
        describe the problem.

        Reportedly fails to boot under AmigaDOS 3.0 with 68040.

        Reportedly works using SetCPU to boot AmigaDOS 1.3.

    Guinness World Records CD (MS-DOS)

        Unable to read the data files.  GIFs don't display properly.

    Heroic Age of Space Flight, Nasa 25th Year

        "Will not play CDXL animations properly.  They crash after a
        few minutes."

        "...hangs up in the middle of playing the movie. I guess its
        due to the fact that I'm using Mercury 040 accelerator.
        Switching back to 030 didn't help though."

        Reportedly fails to boot under AmigaDOS 3.0 with 68040.

        Reportedly works using SetCPU to boot AmigaDOS 1.3.

    Hoeren und Sehen CDTV

        "Not compatible" (GVP Series II, Toshiba 3301, CDROM-FS)

    Illustrated Shakespeare

        "[Both discs] ask for the CDTV bookmark..., which I don't
        think the [Canadian Prototype Replicas] CDROM-FS implements."

        American Heritage works using SetCPU to boot AmigaDOS 1.3.

    Kodak Photo-CD Image Sampler

        "Amiga does not recognize disc at all."

    Profit Press discs:

        The long volume names cause problems with at least some
        versions of Xetec's filesystem.

    Psygnosis Demo CD

        Requires a CDTV.

    Timetable of History

        Reportedly works using SetCPU to boot AmigaDOS 1.3.

    US Atlas

        "The drive reads the disk just fine, so you can scan
        directories and look for interesting data files.  [But the]
        keyboard/mouse work strangely."

    Windows NT

        "Postscript files get data stripped from the front."

    World Vista Atlas

        Reportedly fails to boot under AmigaDOS 3.0 with 68040.

        Sometimes runs out of Chip RAM when viewing city map.

    All Xiphias discs

        "[These] need to have assignments made so they appear as the
        SYS: drive and then execute their startup-sequence."

        "Nothing by Xiphas can handle AmigaDOS 2.0+."

(9) What is your favorite CD-ROM disc?

    Some people voted for multiple discs.  So what?  This is all for
fun.  Here are the results:

VOTES    TITLE                    AUTHOR
=============================================================================
12    Fred Fish Collection            Hypermedia Concepts
4    Source Code CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
3    AB20 Amiga CD-ROM            Walnut Creek
3    Fish & More                Xetec
3    FishMarket                Asimware Innovations
3    GIFs Galore                Walnut Creek
3    X11R5 and GNU                Young Minds, Inc.
2    <no favorite>                -
2    CDPD                    Amalthea
2    Desktop Library                Walnut Creek
1    Advanced Weapons Systems        Dominion
1    CATS Developer CD-ROM            Commodore
1    The Complete Bookshop            Chestnut CD-ROM
1    Danger Hot Stuff            Screen Artists
1    Galileo discs                ?
1    Grolier's Encyclopedia            CDTV Publishing
1    Voyager discs                ?

    In the 1992 survey, the favorite disc was the Fred Fish Collection,
with the AB20 disc in second place.

(10) Are you satisfied with your CD-ROM setup?  Any complaints?

    Almost everyone was generally satisfied with their setup.  See
question (11) for comments.

(11) Any other comments?

    This section contains interesting, general comments.  They are all
direct quotes, complete with spelling errors. :-)  I have separated the
comments into categories.

   General Praise

        "...it is faster to look at an ISO 9660 CD-ROM on my Amiga
    than on any other platform.  I own a Quadra 950, a NeXTstation, and
    an A3000, and the 3000 can browse faster, transfer faster, and read
    more disks than any of the other machines.  The Mac is absolutely
    horrid, taking over 20 minutes to get a directory on the Walnut
    creek Gifs Galore CD-ROM."

        "An image processing package such as ADPRO by ASDG is
    invaluable for exploring MS-DOS CD's."

   Particular CD-ROM discs

        "The quality and quantity of the Walnut Creek CD-ROM's is
    much better than the Chestnut CD-ROM's."

        "Eagerly awaiting the AmiNet CD from Walnut Creek :-)"

        "Fred Fish is ready to go under, because he has less
    subscribers than ever, and [Hypermedia, with their 'Fred Fish
    Collection' CD-ROM] is making a mint off of Fred's efforts.  What
    [Hypermedia] has accomplished is taking a 800+ disk collection of
    great software and packaged it in a manner that does absolutely
    nothing to endorse the shareware concept, does nothing in the way of
    supporting the original compiler of the library (Fred Fish), and in no
    way pays back the tens of thousands of hours of work that went into
    the original programs.  [...their profit] for the CD [is] about
    $23.00 on a $30.00 CD. Pretty good.  I have nothing against someone
    making a buck, but the contributors are getting absolutely nothing
    for the work they did and placed into the public domain....  That's
    not right!"

   Criticisms of Commodore CD-ROM Policy

        "I think Commodore needs to take CD-ROM technology more
    seriously, and work on using CD-ROM as a platform for the personal
    computer, instead of focusing everything on CDTV (which seems
    lagging, if not already dead. in the water, as this point).  Taking
    a peek into other computer fields reveals much: the PC world has
    their MPC (another buzzword); the Macs their Performas; even in
    Japan, the FM-Towns (by Fujitsu) centers their computer around
    CD-ROM's.  My god, even Sega is starting to use CD-ROM's!
        I think with the nearly unlimited amount of storage
    available in CD-ROM's, Commodore (and its third-party software
    vendors) needs to take a look and start producing more quality
    software taking advantage of the Amiga's inherently advanced
    graphics.  (I would have liked to added "sound," but unless they
    start using 12-bit/16-bit sound technology as a base, they're going
    to be left behind...)"

        "CBM needs to be MUCH more interested in Amiga + CD-ROM and
    LESS interested in their idiotic CDTV, IMHO.  CDTV has not sold very
    well and probably never will.  There are already 4 million Amigas out
    there and every one of them *could* be a CD-ROM drive customer.  Few
    who already have an Amiga will buy a CDTV and fewer still who don't
    own an Amiga will buy a CDTV.  CDTV will not survive without a
    thriving software base... which will not be developed for the small
    number of CDTVs that are being sold.  If a lot of Amigas had CD-ROM
    drives on them that could run CDTV disks, developers would be MUCH
    more interested in developing for *BOTH* types of machine."

   General Criticisms

        "I wish there were more Amiga CD-ROM's.  But looking at some
    of the trash available on PC's, Mac's and CDTV, I'd rather have
    quality rather than quantity.  By quality, I mean CD-ROM's with
    archives of tested software, or, better yet, archives of
    ready-to-run software.  Maybe even games that make use of that
    space, not to store graphics and sound, but actual gameplay data,
    like maps of a world to explore, or tables that drive AI opponents
    in strategy games."

        "I am very satisfied with my CD-ROM system. The only
    complaint I have is that there are not enough Amiga specific
    CD-ROM's."

        "...most CDTV disks do not run with either OS 3 or a 68040
    or both.  This is the fault of the makers of the disks, not the
    hardware or driver software."

        "I wish more Amiga software was published on CD-ROM
    specifically, good indexing/retrieval software."

        "I'd be a lot happier if I could run CDTV stuff without going
    through a special boot process (OS 1.3)."

        "CD-ROM's for the Amiga seem to be following the same path as
    hard drives did a few years ago... they are hard to get and
    over-priced (all my PC friends can get CD-ROM's for under $200 with
    all driver software).  Since CD-ROM's really haven't penetrated into
    the Amiga world, none of the hundreds of CD-ROM's with large
    databases ---requiring specialized access software--- are going to
    be available for the Amiga... only PCs and Macs.  The CD-ROM should
    be standard equipment on new Amigas... and Commodore should work to
    get Amiga access software put onto the many new titles coming out.
    I don't care about games and lo-res geography quizzes... I do care
    about the mountains of new data (such as world-wide weather
    archives, dictionaries, phone/zip code directories... and many
    others) that my friends can buy for their machines but are not
    usable from the Amiga."

        "Too bad there are not more Amiga specific CD titles."

        "I think the only real advantage to having a CD drive in the
    Amiga is to access software collections, like the GNU, Fish or AB20
    archive CD's.  CDTV titles, frankly speaking, do not live up to the
    promise of 'multimedia' at all and one is much better off using
    things like 'Microsoft Bookshelf' for Windows if one wants reference
    material, or just about any of the CD-I titles for games, reference
    or recreation.  The very very best of the current CDTV titles are no
    better than the very worst of the CD-I titles I have!  (Bitter?  Oh,
    a little - I have two CDTVs)."

        "...no dealer I've asked will guarantee compatibility of
    CDTV disks in an Amiga/CD-ROM drive system... not even on an exchange
    basis.  They normally do not know which CD's will work on my system
    and are not interested in finding out.  :-( This is the #1 reason
    for reduced CD-ROM drive/disk sales, IMHO."

   Requests For Information

    "Would LOVE to know about text-based PC CD-ROM's which could be
    useful -- e.g., encyclopedias, etc..  There are tons of PC-world
    CD-ROM's which I would love to have, and this might eventually force
    me to break down and purchase a PC (sad!)."

   PhotoCD

        "I ported hpcdtoppm, a Photo CD to PPM converter.  With this
    I'm able to use Photo CD's on my Amiga!"

        "I'm really happy to finally get PhotoCD on the system with
    the aid of a program called OpalPCD...  using the Opal.library from
    Centaur, any Amiga can extract and convert PhotoCD images to the
    Amiga's IFF!"

        "Can't wait for a good PhotoCD reader...."  [Similar
    comments from many people....  Maybe the above 2 answers will
    help?]

   Hardware Compatibility and Tips

        "The [Toshiba XM-3201 on Commodore A2091] cannot be accessed
    by my Vortex 486SLC board.  I'll probably have to get a SCSI
    controller and switch the CD-ROM between systems.  Until then I'll
    continue copying files to a shared Amiga/MS-DOS partition using
    CrossDos."

        "...some useful info on making the GVP Series II controller
    work properly without having a hard disk connected as well as the
    CD-ROM drive.
        I found that when I removed my hard disk from the GVP Series
    II controller card (I bought a 4000, so had no use for the hard disk
    and sold it), with only the CD-ROM connected, the Amiga took about
    30-40 seconds to boot up (with or without a CD in the drive).
        What was happening was that the controller was looking for
    each and every possible SCSI device.  Normally when you have a hard
    disk connected, you set the Last Unit flag in the RDB and the
    controller virtually boots up straight away.  With the CD-ROM
    however, there is no RDB.
        The solution was to disable autobooting on the controller.
    However this means that the ROM based driver is never loaded.  And
    trying to force a ROM to configure after boot up is beyond me.
        What I did was copy the device driver from the GVP install
    disk to the expansion drawer and used 'binddrivers' to load the
    driver.  The is actually better than using the ROM based version
    because:
        1) You can always user the latest version of the driver
           software.
        2) You don't have to boot the driver if you need the memory.
           You just drag it out of the Expansion drawer.
        3) The driver is always loaded into 32bit RAM."

        "Chinon *should* have included a *standard* SCSI interface
    with the drive instead of their proprietary interface that "may or
    may not work with SCSI devices other than the Chinon CDS-431".
    Their interface also has a D-37F plug on the end for "external"
    installations.  How about a D-25F plug?  That would certainly make
    connecting to standard SCSI devices a LOT simpler/easier/faster/
    cheaper. :-("

   Software Suggestions

        "[I have some] suggestions [for CD-ROM filesystems, AsimCDFS
    in particular].  It would be nice to have the option to display
    files in lower case (soothing to the eyes) plus show/hide version
    numbers and have better support for unnamed volumes.  Currently if
    you CD to an unnamed disk, the returned path does not work
    properly.  [Possibly fixed in later versions of AsimCDFS. - Dan]
    Although the MAC support works fine, it's messy switching
    Data/Resource forks.  Support for High Sierra/Rockridge would be
    great.  Last but not least, CDTV support so I can try out the
    software if it finally appears and is worth it."

        "I wish that the program JukeBox would support the Chinon
    CD-ROM drive and/or I could register with someone in Australia.
    Sending bank cheques is a major hassle (despite what everyone
    says).  Even if I could use my VISA card there would be no problems."


CONCLUSIONS

    Nowadays, anybody with a SCSI-capable Amiga can connect a CD-ROM
drive without too much trouble, and most of the respondents are very happy
with their systems.  All of the available filesystems work sufficiently
well, although the Xetec filesystem was the most highly praised by
respondents.  There are at least 100 diverse CD-ROM discs available and
being used by Amigans, though a good percentage of these discs are not
Amiga-specific.  This is both good and bad, since it means that Amigas are
capable of using CD-ROM discs from other platforms, but they don't take full
advantage of these discs.

    In case anyone is interested, my own CD-ROM setup is very typical:
the most common drive (Toshiba XM-3301) and filesystem (AsimCDFS) on an
A3000T, with the most common discs (AB20, Fred Fish Collection, etc.).
I feel so... so... average!! :-)


VENDOR CONTACT INFORMATION

    Some of this information comes from the Winter 1993 "AC's Guide to
the Commodore Amiga" (pages 112, 253, 262, 149), as quoted in the alt.cdrom
FAQ, maintained by Robert Bruce ([e-mail]).  See the section "FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION" below.

    AsimCDFS

        This CD_ROM FileSystem allows an Amiga/CDTV to access any
        ISO9660, HighSierra, or Mac HFS formatted disc. CDTV discs
        also accessible.  Comes with FishMarket, a disc containing
        Fred Fish disks 1-637, and AsimTunes, an Intuition-based
        AudioCD controller program with ARexx capability. Includes a
        manual and a painless install procedure.  Supports a number
        of CD-ROM drives.  Requires SCSI controller compatible with
        Commodore SCSI-Direct Standard. For 68000,010,020,030,040
        processors. Minimum 512K, more recommended for buffering.
        AmigaDOS 1.3/2.0 compatible. $79.00 (US)

            Asimware Innovations
            101 Country Club Dr
            Hamilton, Ontario
            L8K 5W4, Canada
            Phone: [phone]
            FAX:   [phone]

    BabelCDROMFS

        Supports ISO-9660 (e.g., as used by Commodore's CDTV) and
        High Sierra format. Does not depend on HD_SCSICMD ("SCSI
        Direct") and is thus compatible with any compliant
        trackdisk.device-like driver (e.g., GVP's SCSI driver) and
        any CD-ROM drive the underlying device driver can handle.
        Block caching makes accesses fast and efficient. Runs on any
        Amiga with Amiga OS 1.2 or later. Implements all new 2.0 DOS
        filesystem packets.  [No pricing information available.]

            Wallasch & Witte GmbH
            Postfach 1025
            D-W-8000 Muenchen 81
            Federal Republic of Germany
            Voice: [phone]
            Fax:   [phone]
            E-mail: [e-mail] (Ralph Babel)

    CDROM-FS

        CDROM-FS version 702 enables Amiga owners to connect most
        SCSI CD ROM drives to an Amiga with a SCSI interface. This
        software provides support for industry standard ISO
        9660/High Sierra format CD ROM discs. It comes with clear
        concise instructions, making it easy to install and use.
        Requires A590, A2091, A3000, Microbotics Hardframe or GVP.
        $49.95 (US).

            Canadian Prototype Replicas
            P.O. Box 8
            Breslau, Ontario
            Canada N0B 1M0
            Phone: [phone]

    Xetec CDx Disk Set

        All software needed to attach a SCSI CD-ROM drive to most
        popular SCSI controllers, plus a printed manual and two
        CD-ROM discs (Fish & More Vols. I and II). Software consists
        of: CDxFileSystem for access to ISO 9660, High Sierra, and
        Mac HFS discs, CDTV emulation software to run most CDTV
        titles (1MB chip RAM recommended), audio CD player software,
        an assembly/C/ARexx-compatible device for developers, and
        more. NTSC/PAL compatible, Requires SCSI controller, SCSI
        CD-ROM drive.  AmigaDOS 2.0 compatible. $50.00 (US).

            Xetec, Inc.
            2804 Arnold Road,
            Salina, KS 67401
            USA
            Phone: [phone]
            FAX:   [phone]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

    The USENET newsgroup alt.cd-rom contains much information about
CD-ROM's for all platforms, though mainly PC and Mac.  The FAQ (Frequently
Asked Questions) article for this group is VERY informative.  You can see
it posted monthly in alt.cd-rom, or ftp it from cdrom.com (192.153.46.254).

    The ftp site cdrom.com is maintained by Walnut Creek CD-ROM, a
company that makes many of the discs listed by the respondents.  It has
a wealth of information online, available by anonymous ftp.


SPECIAL THANKS

    A GREAT BIG "thank you" to everyone who responded to the survey!!

    Jun Akiyama        [e-mail]
    Jacek Artymiak        [e-mail]
    D. Scott Baeder        [e-mail]
    Daniel Barrett        [e-mail]
    Stefan Becker        [e-mail]
    Dave Beckett        [e-mail]
    Per Bojsen        [e-mail]
    Thomas Magle Brodersen    [e-mail]
    Ryan K. Brooks        [e-mail]
    Ed Brown        [e-mail]
    Tom Brunetti        [e-mail]
    Mark Davis        [e-mail]
    Richard L. Dyson    [e-mail]
    Brick Eksten        [e-mail]
    Darren Enns        [e-mail]
    William L. Gorder    [e-mail]
    George Harvey        [e-mail]
    Joe Headrick        [e-mail]
    Sebastian Hill        [e-mail]
    Jordan K. Hubbard    [e-mail]
    Paul Huxham        [e-mail]
    Guy Klose        [e-mail]
    Paul Kolenbrander    [e-mail]
    Joseph Korczynski    [e-mail]
    David L...?        [e-mail]
    Eric Lavitsky        [e-mail]
    Mark J. Lednor        [e-mail]
    Dave K. Martin        [e-mail]
    Steve Masters        [e-mail]
    Dylan McNamee        [e-mail]
    Thorsten Meyer        [e-mail]
    Urban Dominik Mueller    [e-mail]
    Jim Perkowski        kentcomm![e-mail]
    Stephen Pietrowicz    [e-mail]
    Vitas Povilaitis    [e-mail]
    Heiko Rath        [e-mail]
    Richard Rogers        [e-mail]
    Jay Rymal        [e-mail]
    Mike Stark        [e-mail]
    Magnus Thelander    [e-mail]
    Mark Tomlinson        [e-mail]
    Jerry Youngberg        yngmnds![e-mail]
    Ari Yrj\vl\d        [e-mail]
    Ray Zarling        [e-mail]

Also, thank you to everyone who answered my posted question about GVP SCSI
product names:

    Ralph Babel        [e-mail]
    Brent Burkholder    [e-mail]
    Glenn Durden        [e-mail]
    Paul Kolenbrander    [e-mail]
    Jim Pritchett        [e-mail]
    Arnie Robbins        [e-mail]
    Magnus Thelander    [e-mail]
    Stephen Walsh        [e-mail]
    Ray Zarling        [e-mail]

                                                        Dan

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| Dan Barrett -- Dept of Computer Science, Lederle Graduate Research Center |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA  01003  --  [e-mail] |
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