CompuServe Thread

#Creating Amiga CD-ROM

21 messages in this thread
#22228From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 2, 1992 3:14 PM
I'm creating an ISO 9660 CD-ROM that I want to be accessible to Amigas. Besides placing the .info files into the proper ISO directories, is there any other special files the the Amiga CD-ROM requires. Is there a special requirement for tagging Amiga programs in a ISO disc? This is a text based application. Thanks, William Volk
#22232From: SPC Superbase Tech SuppApr 2, 1992 5:44 PM
I know that the Amigatized version of ISO9660 allows for longer filenames. Will this disk be used on multiple platforms (PC, Mac, and Amiga)? If so, then adhere to ISO9660. If it's an Amiga only disk, then call Commodore and see if you can get the slightly modified format from them , or maybe from a developer, or on BIX. (I've never made a disk before, but I've heard this conversation.) Darin, SPC Superbase Technical Support
#22262From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 3, 1992 2:44 PM
The problem is that there are Amiga, Mac, and PC files and applications to be placed onto the disc. In the case of the Amiga stuff, the file names have to be Amiga names … else the Amiga applications won't see them. So I was planning on setting up the ISO names accordingly. I was just curious if any thing else was required.
#22297From: Vic WagnerApr 4, 1992 3:32 PM
"have to be Amiga names"…. odd. The Amiga accepts all the names that either the PC or Mac can use. Or are you suggesting that the programs for the different platforms used different names for the same data?
#22347From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 6, 1992 12:44 PM
No, in the case of this application(s) the Amiga programs are opening data files that exceed the capacity of MS-DOS file names. Since the pre-press wants MS-DOS files, I had to provide a "name map" so the file names could have their proper, original Amiga names. William Volk
#22242From: Mark SterlingApr 2, 1992 9:47 PM
The CDRoms I have used on the Amiga don't need to have special stuff on them. As long as they are ISO 9660 and have 2048 byte blocks they are readable. Will the disk have executable programs? .info files for directories and programs would make it accessable from Workbench. It would be important to identify Amiga programs as such as well as ones for other platforms. A text based application wouldn't need any of the special CDTV stuff except for compatibility with the CDTV controller. Might be worthwhile to check that out. Hmm. Might need to be a bootable disc to work with CDTV. Of course you didn't mention CDTV… A disc with programs to access it for more than one platform is great idea! I assume that is what you are talking about. ….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
#22263From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 3, 1992 2:44 PM
I intend to have an Amiga directory and an Amiga.info file in the root of the disc. The Amiga directory will contaion all the proper .info files as well as the Amiga executables. I have to supply the data to the pre-press on MS-DOS disks, but I'm providing a list of the proper names for all the Amiga files. If this works out the disc will be accessable via. WorkBench. The applications require a keyboard and I'm not keen on paying the CDTV license fee, so I doubt I'll make the disc bootable on a CDTV box. The disc will support Mac, PC, and Amiga (if all goes well).
#22272From: Mark SterlingApr 3, 1992 8:08 PM
You might consider putting a disk.info file in the root to put a nice disk icon on the Workbench. I can understand that you might not be keen making all the special considerations a CDTV needs as well as paying the license fee. There are plenty of Amiga users buying CDRom drives right now. Good luck with your project. We need all the good applications we can get.
#22346From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 6, 1992 12:44 PM
The Disk.info could be alot more complicated. I'd need to get details on the format of the Disk.info file itself. William Volk
#22320From: SyndesisApr 5, 1992 11:21 AM
Did you see my article in a recent AmigaWorld, describing discs made for the Mac and PC that can be used on the Amiga? It's seen a tremendous response, and they've asked me to do a follow-up. Keep an eye peeled for it, I plan to look into issues such as these, to help other publishers make discs more compatible between platforms. I'm not sure about this yet – but ISO requires uppercase filenames, right? Do Amiga .info files work if they're uppercase? You probably want to talk to Chris Henry at HyperMedia Concepts. (Be fair, pay him something, OK?) He's minted a set of Fish discs for the Amiga. He is familiar with making CDs on the Mac, too. His number is (414) 632-3766.
#22348From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 6, 1992 12:44 PM
Thanks. That's a good contact. When is your article coming out? William Volk
#22353From: Mark SterlingApr 6, 1992 8:36 PM
John, It was a very useful article. I have found some good sources for discs via that article. BTW, I am still looking for the fabled PICT loader from ASDG that you mentioned in that article. P^) A CDXL loader would be nice too. Har. ….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
#22355From: SyndesisApr 6, 1992 9:41 PM
I'm sure ASDG will have some good news in that regard RSN.
#22381From: Mark SterlingApr 7, 1992 7:41 PM
Ahhh, you were just prognosticating again. Yeah, that's it. ….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
#22406From: SyndesisApr 8, 1992 3:29 PM
Please note that my article did not state that ASDG promises/promised a PICT converter. If you re-read the paragraph as I did, it's ambiguous and not well-constructed. At the time I wrote it, ASDG had not told me about any plans for PICT. I shouldn't have sandwiched the PICT sentence in between the description of the other formats (TIFF, PCX, etc) and the fact that AD Pro can load some of them. Any further info you'll need to get from ASDG, not me.
#22410From: Mark SterlingApr 8, 1992 5:06 PM
"..even if you do not have a conversion program such as ASDG's AD Pro to handle the PICT images". That is the one that really threw me off. That is two paragraphs later than the one you mention. I'm sorry about nit-picking. It was an article with a lot of good information that undoubtedly took many hours to research. Nobody is perfect all the time. I was just needling you a little. In my opinion it was an exceptional article it was an exceptional article (escpecially for AW). Sure beats "Discover 2.0 for the Umpteenth Time". I don't expect you to be the official spokesman for ASDG either. I am happy to know they might release a PICT loader/saver sometime. I haven't had a chance to try out the X Window image loader yet. P^) ….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
#22439From: SyndesisApr 9, 1992 8:15 AM
What's "Discover 2.0"? Oh, the one Sheldon Leemon wrote for the latest issue. I was supposed to write one of those, too. A few months before, I wrote the "Rediscover 1.3 for the Upteenth Time" article, and they wanted a follow-up of some kind. Who knows, I might land a 2.0-tips article in the future.
#22443From: Andy FinkelApr 9, 1992 1:53 PM
Discover 2.0: "I simply looked on my hard disk and there it was." Seems kind of short for an article, John 🙂 andy
#22448From: Mark SterlingApr 9, 1992 6:34 PM
Actually I thought Sheldon's article was a good one. I was just making fun of the predictable nature of some of the articles that appear. I'd like to see more in-depth articles and reviews that are not superficial. Of course you don't run that mag. ….Mark Sterling 74335,1677
#22321From: SyndesisApr 5, 1992 11:21 AM
What's the disc about?
#22349From: Activision\Infocom(W. VoApr 6, 1992 12:44 PM
Gee, that would be reveling an unreleased product. All I can say is that it's a text application(s). William Volk