Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!rutgers!cbmvax!cbmehq!cbmger!peterk
From: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CD-ROM and the Amiga
Message-ID: <249@cbmger.UUCP>
Date: 2 Jul 90 08:05:25 GMT
References: <3347@crash.cts.com> <441@hal.CSS.GOV>
Reply-To: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Organization: Commodore Bueromaschinen GmbH, West Germany
Lines: 28

In article <441@hal.CSS.GOV> stevem@hal.CSS.GOV (Steve Masters) writes:
>seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham) writes:
>>In-Reply-To: message from stevem@hal.CSS.GOV
>>You can't just put in an MS-DOS 3.5" disk in an Amiga and have it work, just
>>like you won't be able to use their CDs.
>> 
>I'm not talking about software (binary) compatibility, but the ability
>to read DATA.  In fact, my Amiga CAN read IBM MS-DOS 3.5" disks by using
>Cross-Dos.  I guess what I am asking for is not that C= necessarily use
>the existing formats for their products, but I can use their hardware
>and software to read the large number of CD-ROMs already out there and
>the many more appearing all of the time.

Sorry, I fear you miss one point. On those CD-ROMs you don't get pure
data, but database files together with database software to search 
through this data. And every CD-ROM has it's own database organisation
and retrieval software. There is no widespread standard yet.
In the moment there are CD-ROMs with PC and Mac software on them.
We would need them doing a port of their software to the Amiga. But I
think Commodore USA is just about this and is trying hard.
I agree that it would be a minor effort to access the PC-like filesystem
of such a CD-ROM disk, in fact that should be manageable. But as I said,
this is not already the whole job.


-- 
Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel      //     E-Mail to 
Commodore Frankfurt, Germany      \X/      rutgers!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk