CD-ROM Review; Disks for Mac: Voyager Still Leads (original) (raw)
Science|CD-ROM Review; Disks for Mac: Voyager Still Leads
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/13/science/cd-rom-review-disks-for-mac-voyager-still-leads.html
Advertisement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
- Dec. 13, 1994
Credit...The New York Times Archives
See the article in its original context from
December 13, 1994
,
Section C, Page
TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.
Far more CD-ROM titles are produced for Windows-based personal computers than for the Apple Macintosh, even though the Mac is arguably the preferred machine for exploiting CD-ROM technology. Still, there are scores of interesting Mac CD-ROM titles from which to choose, especially if one has the System 7 operating system and at least 4MB of system memory.
Many CD-ROM's are produced in dual versions that can be used on either a Mac or a Windows machine. In such cases, the instructions for using the CD-ROM disks, in this case a language instruction program, are enlightening:
"Windows Users: Start Microsoft Windows, and insert the compact disk into the CD-ROM drive. To install the program the first time you use it, choose 'Run' from the File menu in the Windows Program Manager. Type D:/SETUP (substitute the letter of your CD-ROM drive for 'D'). Wait until setup is completed, then double-click on the 'Berlitz Live! Spanish' program icon in the Sierra program group . . ."
Ay, caramba! Compare that with this:
"Macintosh users: Insert the compact disk into your CD-ROM drive. Then, double-click on the 'Berlitz Live! Spanish' program icon."
The contrast between installing a CD-ROM drive on a Macintosh and doing it on a Windows machine is even more stark. Those who buy a PC with a CD-ROM and sound card already installed are indeed wise and fortunate.
The following selection of notable and widely available Macintosh CD-ROM's reflects the subjective preferences of the writer and his 12-year-old assistant. Your mileage may vary. THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE
For grownups (not to be confused with "adults," which in the CD-ROM world often means a triple-X rating), the single best source of stimulating, innovative CD-ROM titles comes from The Voyager Company of New York. If the company had a CD-of-the-Month Club, I would join in an instant. Next best: consider the $9.95 demo disk that offers snippets from 45 Voyager titles, spanning history, literature, music, art, popular culture, games and other genres.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement