CompuServe Thread

I don't know about the file naming requirements, but I put Amiga .INFO files on MS-DOS diskettes all the time, and it doesn't create problems. It's just another file to MS-DOS. I can't imagine that doing same would cause problems on a CD-ROM disc. BTW, I've seen discs such as you describe. The Knowledge Media people have several such discs out, which include different drawers/directories for Mac, PC and Amiga, with appropriate executables in each. You could call Safe Harbor and order one of 'em just to use as a model. One is a collection of images, the other a "Multimedia" disc.

I've held your message waiting to see if some more knowledgeable people would answer you, but if they did – I missed it. I think you can find the ISO specifications in CDROM forum here on CompuServe. I know they were there a year or so ago when I needed them for a computer club program I was doing. Also, they used to have a regular participant who did CDROMS for both PCs and Amigas. I may have forgotten, but I think her name was Katherine Cochrane, and she runs a shop called the One-Off CD Shop, or something very similar, in Georgia. Most of the people over there don't know much about the Amiga, but they do know a LOT about making CDROMs.

Here is what I have pieced together so far. The project I am working on has succesfully burned a couple of CD32 discs, but I have not created my own, so some of what follows may be incorrect assumptions I have made. But I think it will help give you an idea of the process. You should be able to burn a CD-ROM with PC files and Amiga files. You could put a disk.info file in the root for Amiga users and something like install.pif file for Windows users to install from Windows. I have read the Fish & More Amiga disc from a PC and it contains a disk.info. To make a CD-ROM, you will need to get CD-ROM premastering software. This takes your files on disks and makes a single "disc image file" from them. This file contains all the data laid out in the order that it will go on What you will want to do is contact CATS to get signed up as a developer and get the CD-ROM premastering software. This will allow you to generate the disc image file. One of the reasons for using the Amiga for burning the disc is that you will be able to use PC and Amiga files. If you do it with PC premastering software, you probably will be limited to the 8.3 character names. The Amiga premastering software sounds very good. It allows you to generate ISO 9660 level 2 discs, use longer file names, and supports the Rock Ridge extension protocols (deeper than 8 level directory hierarchies?). Make sure you ask CATS for the driver which lets you use the image file as an AmigaDOS volume. This is important because it allows you to do a LIST ALL of the files in the image to make sure you created a correct ISO 9660 disk image and test your prototype before you get the disc made. If you want to connect a writable CD-ROM burner to your own computer and make the discs yourself, then you will need to get CD-ROM "mastering" software. I'm not sure if Amiga based mastering software is available on the Amiga. I'm pretty sure that the premastering software from CATS will also master, but I don't know for certain as we don't have a CD-ROM burner yet. You will probably just want to make an image file and then send it to a CD-ROM burning service bureau. CD-ROM writers are still $3K or more. You can post a message in the PHOTOCD forum asking for information from CD-ROM writing service bureaus. CATS will also burn CD-ROMs, but I think they are only burning CD32 discs for commercial applications. You send them a 2 GIG DAT tape with the image file. You can also append an archive of the original files used to build the image. This can serve as a backup in case something is wrong with the image file. CATS can accept tapes archived with Quarterback or Ami-back. For other CD-ROM service bureaus, you will have to ask them how they want the image file on the tape. Most will probably be able to take a TAR file. To make a TAR file on a DAT Tape, you will need to get a SCSI Tape handler and a version of TAR. Both are available here in the Amiga libraries. Well, I'm still trying to figure all this out for myself. So if anyone can jump in here, I'd appreciate it.

You can prepare your master image on a hard disk on an Amiga or a Unix machine. This lets you use long filenames where necessary. You could make a master tape using the Unix-like utility 'tar', which preserves the long filenames. You could find a CDROM service bureau that does its mastering on Unix machines. This preserves the long filenames, too. You're right in thinking that transferring these files to an MS-DOS file system would truncate the filenames. And of course, MS-DOS machines will get confused about long filenames and mixed-case filenames. You can see this by putting any CDTV disc in an MS-DOS machine. You can see the files, but you can't open them.