Making your own CDROM - Some common questions You've got some data you would like to share, you've got a pc of some type, you've heard of this marvelous new thing called CDROM. So whadda ya gonna do? I am reminded of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. You call some friends and say "Hey gang, let's put on a show!" Well, the times have changed since a group of kids could save the day with a song-and-dance in a converted barn. This is a high-tech world, after all. But the good news is that CDROM is one high-tech development that is not out of reach of the entrepreneur. It takes a little money, and a good deal of planning, but CDROM is on its way to becoming the creative medium of the future, and something of a populist tool. In 1985, putting data on a compact disc was a pretty esoteric undertaking. The techniques for publishing even simple text were just being invented, and some pretty heavy-duty computing power - in the form of minicomputers like the DEC VAX - was required to process and index the material. But as more talent got involved and alternatives were created, the process became less complicated and more tools have become available to bring CDROM access to a wide collection of traditional and would-be new-age publishers. The last couple of Developer's Corners have been fairly theoretical. This time, we will explore some of the practical issues in bringing an idea through the process of becoming a CDROM product. I will attempt to answer some specific questions about creating a CDROM product. Be forewarned, however. The unfortunate truth is that the detailed, precise answer about your unique product idea is: "It depends." Cost, strategies and processes are particular to each product. So I will provide figures and numbers where possible, but the real answer for your case can only be determined with specific research, quotes from vendors etc. The answers given here are incomplete. There is simply not enough time or space in this format to address all the details for each issue raised. My attempt here is to provide enough information to enable you to ask the right questions when you sit down with a vendor to explore your particular project. The RESOURCES portion of this month's Developer's Corner is a selection of vendors taken from a publication of the Optical Publishing Association, of which I am executive director. If you would like more information about OPA's publications and activities, call 614/793-9660 or 614/793-0749 (fax). How do I know if I have a good idea for a CDROM project? It seems there are two basic motivations for publishing on CDROM: * You wish to distribute a body of data that exceeds the practical capacity of floppy disks * You can present a unique collection of data (multimedia or not) that is best packaged as a self-contained electronic publication The first motivation begs a corollary question: "What if I don't have 600 megabytes of data, do I still need CDROM?" I remember an interview with Doug Carlson, president of Broderbund, a couple of years back. He said, roughly, "When the customer base is ready, I would much rather use CDROM to publish any product that requires more than two floppies, if for no other reason than cost." For those who see CDROM purely as an opportunity to deliver "stuff," the capacity of the disc, and the low cost of mastering and replicating it makes it an attractive alternative even for relatively small quantities of data. The other issue gets to the heart of the creative issue. There are indeed times when you simply want to deliver a large volume of textual material, or clip-art graphics or other straightforward collections of material. On the other hand, CDROM is a new medium for delivery, and digital representation is a new way to handle information. The combination presents new creative possibilities. Combining information from a variety of sources (such as books, audio tapes, vector drawings, animation, etc.) to make a new kind of statement about a particular subject is at least an equally valid application of CDROM technology. Utilizing CDROM in this way requires more work because we are at the very early stages of understanding the medium, and the art forms that best capitalize on its unique characteristics, but it is this kind of use that raises CDROM above the level of a mere "data storage" medium. See last issue's Developer's Corner for a longer discussion of some of the creative issues in creating a wholly new kind of publication on CDROM. Must I have a "multimedia" product idea for CDROM to be practical? There is a misconception in the land that a CDROM product must be "multimedia" in order to have enough cache to be attractive to the consumer. This is simply not true. And it is not true for at least two fundamental reasons: 1) No one (in terms of even two living breathing human beings) knows precisely what multimedia is, or means. That is, it means different things to everyone. Not the least of the reasons for this confusion is in the label "multimedia" itself. CDROM is a single medium. By virtue of its digital nature, and our recent ability to digitize many different forms of information, CDROM has the ability to deliver "multi-format" productions, which doesn't have quite the marketing ring to it, but then reality can be a cold place. The most destructive misconception among potential producers is that CDROM is not a legitimate medium for education, entertainment or reference applications until it can handle video with alacrity. This is simply wrong. Based on research and my personal experience, I know that very effective productions can be created which use only text with audio, or still graphics with audio, or text enhanced by graphics and perhaps animation with audio. (Note the key ingredient in these combinations is audio.) Video cannot be done easily yet, but so what? There are so many potential products that don't require video that we have yet to make, or even discover, that video should not be permitted to be the gate-keeper to the marketplace. We have much to learn about how to make effective products with what we have at hand first. 2) The bread-and-butter of the CDROM business to date has been textual applications. Databases with bibliographies and abstracts, databases with full-text collections of works (medical references, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, etc.). There are perhaps three "multimedia" products making money, and those primarily because they have been "adopted" by the technology companies as examples of what might be accomplished. There is a need for collections of information to which individuals, businesses and libraries would have limited access without CDROM. They may not be sexy or romantic, they may not get you on the cover of MACWEEK, but they most certainly can be successful. At the beginning you have to get your feet wet. Don't avoid pursuing a good CDROM product idea just because it won't make you famous. What are your goals, who do you want to serve, how can you help new customers make the transition to CDROM easily? Answer these questions and, if the prospects are favorable, go for it! What platforms support CDROM? What platform should I target for my product idea? Virtually every modern personal computer platform can support CDROM today. Obviously, the two biggest alternatives are the Intel-based IBM PC compatibles, and the Macintosh. They have the largest market shares in the broadest spectrum of the computing universe. UNIX-based systems are big in some market segments. And of course we now have Commodore's CDTV in the marketplace, and Philips' CDI due Real Soon Now. And there are new platforms appearing, most notably Sony's small and portable Data Discman. Adhering to the ISO 9660 standard for formatting information on the disc itself gives you access, in theory, to the entire Intel, Macintosh and UNIX markets (CDTV, CDI and Data Discman have proprietary methods). There are a number of publishers now producing products which are compatible with both Intel and Macintosh systems. There are a few tool vendors who can extend that compatibility to UNIX. The newer formats have a way to go yet in working out cross-platform compatibility. The key to publishing across platforms, as opposed to focussing on a specific system, is in the alternatives available for creating interfaces and screen presentations. For the most part, if you wish to cross system lines, you have design your product to the lowest common denominator, which is the character-based MS-DOS operating system. A Mac product designed to this standard will make your Macintosh screen appear much like a pc screen. This may be okay for text-based applications, it becomes more problematical as you add other data formats. The Interactive Multimedia Association has received substantial industry support to solve the problems of cross-platform compatibility for multimedia. The Optical Publishing Association has focussed on the problem of interface/retrieval engine separation to enable customers to mix and match their favorite interfaces with data products from different vendors. These issues will take some time to resolve, however. For the CDROM publisher seeking to make a product today, I would advise you to target a platform that is most appropriate for the kind of information you are going to publish, and for the platforms to which your likely audience has easiest access. Get the product established with a loyal customer base, and let market reaction and demand help direct your future development efforts. What standards support CDROM technology? I have a long-standing battle with the computer trade press over standards and CDROM. I am often asked(from my perspective as executive director of the Optical Publishing Association), "When are CDROM standards finally going to be in place, so that the market can take off?" I can generally restrain my frustration with this question, although I have lost it on occasion. That fact is that CDROM is the single most fully standardized subsystem in the computing environment. The medium itself, and the machinery required to read the media, are standardized by the so-called Red and Yellow book standards written by Philips and Sony in creating compact discs for both consumer audio and computer-based applications. The way data are laid out on the disc is standardized by the so-called High Sierra format and the later ISO 9660 standard. The problem in using CDROM is derived from the multitude of "standards" which describes the operating environment of personal computers. How many versions of MS-DOS are now used? Has anybody kept count? How many versions of "standard" UNIX are now being touted? There are at least two versions of OS/2 out there, and there are only 12 customers (ok, so I exaggerate a tad, but you get my drift). And these conflicts focus only on the pc market! How many architectures are there? I can name at least seven off the top of my head. How many graphic display "standards?" I am waiting for someone to introduce Hyper-Super-Duper VGA, just to keep the ball rolling. Way back in 1981, the big concern was the plethora of floppy disk formats that existed. There was Apple, and PC-DOS, and multiple flavors of CP/M. How far have we come today? Have you totaled up the number of floppy formats (in terms of density now rather than formats) that exist in the market? Even in the the highly controlled Macintosh environment, the issue of standard platforms exists. Much as I love NAUTILUS, much of the demo software that appears here is limited to those subscribers with very high- end configurations. It's not that you have to run the demo with only a portion of its functionality if you don't have 8 megs of memory, or a high resolution color screen: you can't run it at all! It is not the fault of the NAUTILUS people, they are only the messenger. The fault lies in the ever- increasing cascade of choices the consumer must make in deciding what kind of system to buy. The CDROM industry has to take flak from NOBODY about standardization when the rest of the computer industry can't get its act together over even the lowly floppy disk, the most basic method of exchange of data! All right, end of diatribe. The bottom line is that the environment is a challenge for the CDROM publisher. Producing a standard CDROM is not difficult. Finding a customer base with a standard configuration is something else again. This is a problem. It is not fatal. It is simply a factor that must be considered in designing the product. As the issues in compatibility are worked out, the choices will become easier. But being early in the market gives you, the developer, a toe-hold when that time comes.