Confidence in the future of CD-ROM publishing received a boost with the recent announcement of CD-ROM products and services by Digital Equipment Corporation. The product line includes a CD-ROM player-the CD Reader--that can be used with DEC's MicroVAX I, MicroVAX II, and VAXstation II as well as the IBM PC. The single-quantity purchase price for the CD Reader is about $2,000.
The hardware announcement was accompanied by the announcement of a group of CD-ROM Data Base Publications consisting of 10 technical data base subsets. Updated quarterly, each publication carries an annual subscription price of between $995 and $1,395. The CD—ROM files are accessed using Battelle's MicroBASIS search and retrieval software which is mastered on the CD-ROM along with the data. A Micr0BASIS user's guide is included as part of each subscription.
The initial title list contains data base subsets from Compendex, NTIS, Chemical Abstracts Service, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and Fraser Williams--a chemical information publisher. A list of the 10 technical data base subsets with subscription prices follows:
Compendex: Electrical and Computer Engineering ($1, 195)Compendex: Chemical Engineering ($1,195)
Compendex: Aerospace Engineering ($1,195)
Chemical Abstracts: Health and Safety in Chemistry ($1,195)
NTIS: Environmental Health and Safety ($1,150)
NTIS: Computers, Communications, and Electronics ($1,150)
NTIS: Medicine, Health Care and Biology ($1,150)
NTIS: Aeronautics, Aerospace & Astronomy ($1,150)
RSC: Current Biotechnical Abstracts ($1,395)
Fraser Williams: Fine Chemicals Directory ($995 for two updates)
[Contact: Digital Equipment Corporation, CD Publishing Services, 12 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA 01730, (800) 332—9277.]
