## Review: AMUC CD-ROM Set (Volumes 2 And 3)

### By: Jason Compton

The Amiga Users of Calgary, the organizers of the recent AmiJam conference, ran into a small problem on their AMUC Express BBS-what to do when the hard drive fills.

Enter a series of CD-ROMs. Essentially, when the drive is about full, they grab an ISO 9660 image, run over to INSTAR, and whip up a CD, then clear almost the entire drive. Clever.

This set brings the second and third of these volumes, dated June 1994 and October 1994. Both CDs are in the "acceptably large" range, around 600 megs of archives. It has the eclectic flavor of a BBS archive (which it is), covering just about all areas of interest, from pictures to 3D objects. The three categories of separation are "data" (pictures, 3D objects, etc), "software" (executables), and "hardware" (hardware hacks, mostly.) Most files have separate descriptions in a "descript" directory. These descriptions are accessed by the included MUIFind program, used for browsing and searching the discs.

The set would make an excellent general-reference addition to a collection-since it came from a BBS, it has all of the "necessities" of Amiga existance, such as LHA and DMS and even a few emulators. The CDs are getting a bit dated, but then again, a BBS can't take Aminet head on and win anyway. The collection is a valiant effort, and the presentation is better than I've seen from some "professional" CD-ROM compilations.

Sure, the compilation dates are a bit old, but it's not like the software has rotted just yet. In fact, my biggest complaint is the lack of any sort of paper insert to label the double-jewel case. The lack of a spine label actually delayed this review, because I couldn't find it when I scanned my CD-ROM rack last issue saying "Hey, did I forget anything?" I realize it kicks up the cost a bit, but it's worth it.

AMUC
P.O. box 34230
#19-1200 37th St. SW
Calgary, Alberta
T3C 3W2 Canada
403-244-6990 phone
403-686-3790 fax
sales@instar.cuc.ab.ca