Subject: REVIEW: Aminet CD-ROM disc, 6/93
From: [email-masked] (Thomas Baetzler)
Date: 14 Jul 1993 14:59:12 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	Aminet CD-ROM disc, 6/93

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A CD-ROM snapshot of the entire Aminet Collection of freely
distributable software from the Internet.  It also contains the final
snapshot of the AB20 Amiga archive as well as the Usenet comp.sources.amiga
and comp.binaries.amiga archives.  Future editions of this disc will contain
only the Aminet Collection.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Walnut Creek CD-ROM
	Address:	1547 Palos Verdes
			Suite 260
			Walnut Creek, CA 94596
			USA

	Telephone:	(800) 786-9907
			(510) 674-0783

	FAX:		(510) 674-0821

	E-mail:		[email-masked]

LIST PRICE

	$24.95 (US).

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	You'll need a CD-ROM drive as well as a suitable filesystem (Asimware
AsimCDFS, CPR CDFS, Xetec CDFS, Babel CDFS...) to access the data on the
Aminet CD-ROM.

	Since most of the files on this CD are stored as archives (for
example, in "lha" format), you might need an external storage medium for
decompressing the files.  The necessary software to do this is supplied on
the CD-ROM.  Some of the programs contained in the archive might require
special hardware/software to run.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Testing was done on an A2500/030 running OS 2.04, using a GVP 
Series II host adapter, a NEC CDR 74 CD-ROM drive, and Asimware's 
AsimCDFS. The machine features 1 MB of Chip, 4 MB of 32 and 2 MB of 16
Bit ram. 

	I have not tested this disc on a CDTV or CD32 personally.  Jack
Velte of Walnut Creek CD-ROM has assured me that this title is CDTV
compatible.

REVIEW

	Getting a CD-ROM full of interesting software for the Amiga has
become much easier over the last few months.  Almathera Software in the UK
continued to cater to the needs of the CDTV users, and now Walnut Creek has
finally come up with the long promised Aminet CD-ROM.

	Aminet is actually the name for a network of several FTP sites that
stock Amiga Software.  Uploads to one Aminet site get (at least
theoretically) forwarded to all other sites in the network, providing
multiple access points to the same software base.  Ever since the demise of
the well-known "AB20" ftp site (ab20.larc.nasa.gov), Aminet has been a
valuable repository for Amiga software, so it really makes sense to have a
CD-ROM snapshot of that site.  On Aminet, you can find many things that make
your Amiga more powerful, easier to use, and best of all, more fun to use.

	If you've ever been to an Aminet site, you know what to expect on
the CD-ROM, since Walnut Creek has replicated the original directory
structure of the site in the /AMINET subdirectory.  The top level
directories are a rough classification, and subdirectories elaborate on that
description. The files themselves are usually accompanied by "Readme" files
containing more or less terse descriptions.

	The files are usually archived with one of the more popular
archivers like LhA or LhArc. Some files, especially demos using a dedicated
track loader, have been treated with the Disk Masher. This means that you
can't run programs directly off the CD-ROM, but it also gives you the
opportunity to use the Aminet CD in your mailbox.  To this end, each
directory contains directory listings in "FILES.BBS", "WILDCAT.TXT" and
"00_INDEX.TXT" files. This should insure compatibility to most mayor BBS
systems.

	To unpack archived files, you could use any of the programs provided
in the /TOOLS directory, if you don't have them already installed somewhere
on your system.  Using a file utility like SID or DirOpus greatly facilitates
browsing and unarchiving.

	Actually, browsing through the files on the Aminet CD can be lots of
fun.  Even if you're a regular user of Aminet, you'll discover many
fascinating items you've never noticed before.  For instance, you could take
a look at some of the people who started and support Aminet, since their
portraits are available in PIX/IRC.  Or you could listen to some of the songs
that are archived in the MOD directory.  Even if the possibilities are
limited, you'll take a lot of time to sample them all.

	As a pack-in bonus, this first release of the Aminet CD-ROM also
contains the old AB20 collection witch such diverse goodies as a lot of Eric
Schwartz animations, and such.  Since Aminet can be expected to grow quite a
bit in the near future, this archive will not be included in upcoming
updates.

	The disc is mastered in ISO-9660 Mode 2 format, which means that
the original UNIX filenames of the archives had to be to converted to
all-uppercase.  Still, this is much better than having to resort to
Mode 1 with it's MS-DOS style "8.3" filenames. 

DOCUMENTATION

	The Aminet CD-ROM booklet contains just the barest minimum
information about the contents of the disc.  While a text file in the top
level directory points out that most of the data on the disc is in
compressed format, there are no detailed instructions given of how to use
these files.  Amiga novices (i.e., the intended CDTV clientele) might need
help using the disc.

	The individual archives on the CD-ROM are accompanied by "readme"
files detailing their contents.  Depending on who uploaded the file to
Aminet, this might be a full description, or only one line.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

	One improvement I would suggest to the makers of the Aminet CD is
that they include some file management utility on the disc, thus
facilitating the access to the data for novice users.

	Another thing I'd like to see would be the inclusion of fully
installed preconfigured software. One likely candidate for such a treatment
would be PasTeX (an Amiga implementation of TeX).  You could have binaries
and computed fonts on the CD, and thus save some megabytes of HD space.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	As an Amiga archive CD-ROM, I can only compare this disc to
Almathera's 17 Bit collection.  Apart from the differences in content, I
prefer the organisation of the Aminet CD over that of the latter.  If you
want something particular, you usually know where to search for it.  Also,
since most of the files in the Aminet archives are compressed using file
compressors, you can unpack directly to RAM: or a hard drive.  The 17 Bit CD
stores all files in DMS format, so you can only unpack to floppy disks.
Also, you have to use their proprietary file selection menu to find a
particular archive.  While this "disk creator" might be an interesting
feature for novices, I really hate being forced to take a detour to get at
the data I want.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	Walnut Creek have announced quarterly updates of the disc, selling
for $19.95/quarter plus postage and handling

	The company operates an Internet FTP site, ftp.cdrom.com.  It has
lots of interesting information concerning CD-ROMs, as well as index files
of all their CD-ROMs.

	My personal experience with Walnut Creek has been very good.  If you
have any questions or suggestions, you can always contact them via email.

WARRANTY

	Walnut Creek offer full guarantee, so that you can return the CD-ROM 
for a full refund if you are dissatisfied with it for any reason.

CONCLUSIONS

	I'm very happy with my very own Aminet archives at home.  Now I can
play and test with all those files I was always too lazy to download
directly. :-)  Also, the proposed quarterly updates will always keep my
collection up to date.

	I would rate the Aminet CD-ROM 4.5 out of 5 stars.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1993 Thomas Baetzler.  All rights reserved.

You can contact me at:
	
	Medic BSS, 2:241/7454.2@fidonet (safest way?)
	[email-masked]         (until October 1993)
	[email-masked]       (will be forwarded to me)
 
    Thomas Baetzler, Herrenstr. 62, 76133 Karlsruhe, FRG
	Voice: ++49 (0)721 29872  Medic BBS: ++49 (0)721 496821

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