\begin{multicols}{2}[\Section{Walnut Creek \TeX\ CDROM}]

\let\Section\section

\title{Part 1: A user's view}

\author{J. M. Bowsher}

\begin{article}
I first heard of the \emph{Walnut Creek} \TeX\ CDROM (actually a pair of
disks) when my faithful hardware and software suppliers {\it Systems
Solutions} sent me a list of their latest CDROMs.  I asked Peter Abbott
about it when I renewed my subscription to \ukt, and he surprised me by
sending me a copy to review and asking me to write down my opinions as
one who works alone and is not connected to a network.

The packaging is the usual for a pair of CDs, but the first thing I
noticed was the depressing little message on the first disk ``type GO to
start''; this warned me that the suppliers had IBM PC users only in
mind. Fortunately, the disks are in ISO~9660 format, so my Atari ST was
able to read them with no problems --- I expect that other platforms
would have no difficulty either.  However, I found when I accessed the
first `readme' file that \emph{Walnut Creek} have used a format for
informative text files which required me to use my word processor to
read them; the ROM based ASCII text reader I normally use placed all the
text, apart from the first couple of lines, off the right hand edge of
the screen.  \emph{Walnut Creek} provide in the root partition of the
first disk what they claim is a powerful and versatile viewer, but they
have failed to help workers on platforms other than the IBM PC --- there
are no viewing programs for other systems.

The root partition `readme' file told me that the CDROM contains, 
\emph{inter alia}, a snapshot of the \textsc{ctan}
 archive taken between February
and March 1995; it would therefore seem to be of considerable utility to
the \TeX\ community; I look forward to reading the second part of this
review by a \TeX\ expert.  The first thing \emph{I} did after reading
that first `readme' file was rush to the `systems' folder and see what
was in it.  The following systems are included: Acorn Archimedes, Amiga,
Atari, Common \TeX, Knuth (Knuth's original sources), Mac, MSDOS, NT,
OS2, Unix, VM-cms, VMS, web2c.  I next discovered --- and this, I feel,
is a very serious drawback --- that at least four different compression
algorithms are used on this pair of disks.  After only a few minutes
searching around, I found  \texttt{ARC}, \texttt{LZH}, \texttt{ZIP} and
\texttt{ZOO} extensions, but no decompression facilities were provided
in any of the systems sub-folders I looked through.  I feel that the
suppliers should have placed in each of the `systems' sub-folders, a set
for \emph{that} system of executable decompression programs for every
compression method used.  Those on systems using $8 + 3$ character file
names should be aware that some of the files on this CDROM do not use
this naming convention.

Obviously, I opened the Atari sub-folder first, but had to search
through my floppy storage box to unearth a \texttt{ZOO} decompresser (I
have never before had occasion to use \texttt{ZOO}) before I could
discover that it contained version 7.00 of the Christoph Strunk \TeX\
shell I use, and also a late version of the alternative Lindner shell.
I installed version 7.00 on my machine as it is very pleasant to use
English commands, but was sad to see that much of the supporting
documentation is still in German.  There are also several folders of
useful utilities including, for example, many
\texttt{dvi}~$\rightarrow$~printer drivers.  Who knows, one of the
600~dpi laser printer drivers may even work!

A quick survey of other systems revealed that they seem to be provided
for in a similar manner.  I couldn't check that things worked, of
course, but there were folders full of what looked like comparable
material to that I had gone through in my native folder.  I leave the
discussion of the other, more basic, \TeX\ material to my fellow
reviewer.  I noticed lots of useful stuff; for example, hundreds of
fonts (including a way of using printer resident Hewlett Packard laser
fonts) in addition to the expected \texttt{cm}, \texttt{dc} etc.

Thus my opinion is that this CDROM would be a versatile addition to
almost anyone's collection provided they have the patience (if not using
an IBM PC) to sort out decompression and file location problems.  My
file finding accessory deserved a much needed rest after working on this
CDROM for a few hours!
\end{article}

\title{Part 2: An archivist's view}

\author{Sebastian Rahtz}
\begin{article}

There have been four \textsc{ctan} CDROM collections that we know of.
There were sections on CD even before the formal `opening' of the
archive setup by George Greenwade in 1993 at Aston, thanks to Prime
Time Freeware's offering, but the first full set was that issued by
PTF in mid 1994. They planned a yearly update, but we are still
waiting for a second edition; meanwhile, Walnut Creek issued their two
disk set in mid 1995, and recently the German \TeX\ Users Group,
Dante, has produced another one, which has not yet been seen in the UK
(it is for `members only', in that delightfully open way Dante has).

When the Prime Time Freeware CD came out, it was criticized for being
all compressed using ZIP (which was better than the myriad methods
used on the 1992 disk), which meant that all of \LaTeX, for instance,
was in one giant archive. The Walnut Creek CD is better, because
everything is uncompressed, as you would find it on the archives (from
a year ago --- and much has changed since then), but
the downside is that because there are two disks, what you want is
always on the other one. Apart from that, it is a great convenience
having a \textsc{ctan} snapshot at home, or in an unconnected office,
and I congratulate Walnut Creek for producing it.

Is a \textsc{ctan} dump a good idea, however? The most successful \TeX\
CD is the 4All\TeX\ offering from NTG, which allows DOS users to run
straight from a mounted disk if they like, and this can never be the
case with a \textsc{ctan} dump. Do users want an archive, or a usable
file system? With the increasing use of compound \texttt{docstrip}
sources for \LaTeX\ packages, we need to \emph{install} material before
we use it. The standard directory structure recently described by the
TUG TDS working group is a vital stage in making the dream of a
complete, usable, \TeX\ file system on a single CD come true, and I
expect to see an offering this year.

We need both \textsc{ctan} dumps for the unconnected, and TDS standard
file systems for `plug-n-play'ers. \textsc{ctan} will continue to
provide the raw material, but I hope that CD producers will spend more
on adding value, and understanding the content. The Walnut Creek CD is
useful, but not very useful for the complete beginner; it has not been
done  in consultation with the \textsc{ctan} maintainers, which is a
pity.

\end{article}


\end{multicols}
