New Titles Reflect Diversity in CD-ROM Publishing
 
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
WASHINGTON DC (Microbytes Daily News Service) --- New CD-ROM
titles shown at this week's CD-ROM Expo ranged from a CIA world
almanac to a database for evaluating the food you eat.
 
Among the new software products on display at the show was a
database containing the complete Federal Acquisition
Regulations and list of Department of Defense FAR bases.
Farsearch from Optical Publishing Inc. (Fort Collins, CO)
includes 37 related databases that are available in any
combination and searchable by full text or record number; a
cross-search capability allows you to search up to 8 databases
at the same time. This is the first time that the FAR, vital to
any business that sells to the government, has been available
in its entirety to the end user.
 
Alongside dictionaries in the fast-expanding CD-ROM reference
library are the CIA World Factbook and Dick's Some of the
Earth's Planes, two of the most recent publications from Quanta
Press (St. Paul, MN). The CIA World Factbook, which consists of
unclassified information, is an annual world almanac of 248
countries compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency. Dick's
Some of the Earth's Planes is a comprehensive digest of
worldwide aircraft, with each entry accompanied by capability
details and line drawings as well as photographs in both black
and white and full-color VGA images.
 
SearchExpress is a PC-based retrieval program from Executive
Technologies (Birmingham, AL). Its advanced search capability
can find similar objects and allows Boolean searching of a
600-megabyte CD-ROM in 6 seconds, the company says. A concordance
lists unique words in the database and the number of times each
occurs. SearchExpress can also retrieve images, spreadsheets,
CAD/CAM drawings, and other types of files.
 
Need a fax number? Anywhere in the world? If it's publicly
listed, or if there's a telex or teletext number, J+W Commdisc
from Jaeger + Waldman Publications (Bethpage, NY) has it.
Updated twice a year, this vast international retrieval system
has information classified in four languages.
 
Food/Analyst CD-ROM from Hopkins Technology (Hopkins, MN) is an
example of practical information requiring CD-ROM technology.
It's a database of 5000 foods and more than 80 nutrients
(including fast foods and breakfast cereals) that can be
adapted to a user's lifestyle and eating habits and provides
nutritional evaluations.
 
                              --- Wayne Rash and Jan Ziff
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
