Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!uunet!ns-mx!ceres!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!genbank!WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU!phil
From: phil@WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU (J. Philip Miller)
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.genbank
Subject: Re: Distributing GenBank with CD ROM
Message-ID: <8912121303.AA01409@wubios.WUstl.EDU>
Date: 12 Dec 89 12:03:48 GMT
Sender: daemon@genbank.BIO.NET
Lines: 39

> >they are much slower than magnetic hard disks.  Also, I'm not sure that
> >CD-ROM is really practical yet.  Maybe in a couple of years, but it's still
> >pretty much of a specialty item today.
> 
> No argument about getting the physical object from point A to point B,
> but Release 62 (in the works) is going to require 5 reels @ 1600bpi
> (yes, there are sites that want GenBank and cannot receive 6250) and
> Rel 63 (March, the next release on floppies) will probably require
> something like 125 360-kb floppies.  Since we are distributing more
> that 100 copies in the 360-kb density, I don't think we can
> morally stop the pain of mastering, packaging, and shipping those
> floppy releases until we provide a viable alternative.  (And even
> if our morals would let us, the GenBank Project Officer would remind
> us of our contractual obligation to release on floppies.  We're hoping
> the floppy release (at least on the LD disks) will die a natural
> death after the CD ROMs are available.)
> 
I think it may be useful to throw some numbers in here that I have been
quoted.  First the drives to read the CD ROMS - they are available for the PC
platform under $1,000 including controller, software etc.  For Unix boxes they
are available  for $1,000-$1,500 including software.  I do not recall the
prices for for VAXen, but DEC is now distributing much of its software on CD
ROM so is pushing their use.  Mastering (including the first 100 copies) runs
from $5,000 - $10,000 depending on how much indexing and other preprocessing
is needed.  Pressings are in the $1-$2/copy range and mailing is MUCH less
than any other media.  Thus if there are only 50-100 copies to be distributed,
we are already in the same ballpark as with 1600 bpi tapes and 360k floppies.
The costs can only become more favorable as the volume goes up.  Even if folks
want their own private copies only for status reasons, they will go for the CD
ROM approach since that will give them a way of justifying having a CD player
in their office to listen to their favorite music :-)

-phil

-- 
     J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067
	 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110
phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - Internet  (314) 362-3617   phil@wubios.wustl - bitnet
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