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From: pjs269@tijc02.UUCP (Paul Schmidt)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Why are CD-ROMs so expensive?
Message-ID: <829@tijc02.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 89 14:29:56 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Texas Instr., Johnson City TN
Lines: 24

In doing some research on my Master's Thesis I turned to
Mathematic Review.  Unfortunately, my thesis does not fit
into one of the categories that they have listed.  I was
relieved to find out that they produced a CD-ROM with the
information called MathSci.  I went to the librarian to
find out if they had this disk.  No they didn't.  Why?
Because it cost $3000!

This is an outrageous price for the disk.  A CD-ROM costs
about $10,000 to master and $2/disk to reproduce.  If you
would assume that it cost another $10,000 in manpower to
create these disks (about one man month) then they are
making a killing on these disks!  (Especially when you
examine the costs of shipping and printing which will be
MUCH higher for the book format, which, by the way, costs
much less than $3000.)

Since it costs less to procude the disks, why aren't they
less?  The small technical schools and state schools can't
afford these prices, and are depriving the students with
one of the best breakthroughs in research.  (It would be
quicker for me to drive to the nearest school that does
have the disk than to do the research using the books,
and that school may be 6 hours away!)