MIL-HDBK-9660 Dod Produced Cd-Rom ProductsThis document was prepared by the Defense information Systems Agency DISA, in cooperation with the services and other activities within the Department of Defense DOD. The goal of this document is to provide information and guidelines to support the creation and interoperability of Compact Disc-Read Only Memory CD-ROM development and use within DOD. This document specifies core compact disc fundamentals for the DOD community. It is strongly recommended all DOD components comply with the fundamentals established within this document. Specialized functions within DOD may require expanded internal guidance to meet their own mission needs. All other Government entities are invited to use this document.

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MIL-HDBK-9660B

5. COMPACT DISC GUIDELINES

5.1 Software Guidelines.

5.1.1 Licensing Issues. A major concern in the production and dissemination of CD-ROM discs is software licensing restrictions and costs for the selected authoring/retrieval package. A search and retrieval engine can be used to support those CD-ROMs containing extensive text. This is required to facilitate rapid searches through volumes of information.

Authoring software is normally packaged/priced separately from retrieval software, but is specifically designated for a single retrieval engine. Each operating platform supported by the disc may require separate viewers, authoring software, or both.

Most authoring/retrieval engines can be purchased in a variety of ways. The following list defines many of the more popular licensing schemes. If the vendor does not currently offer the particular scheme best suited for your needs/budget, they often will develop new pricing/licensing to obtain your business.

a. Site License: A one-time cost includes all future titles, replicated copies and users. A separate fee or royalty is not required for each user receiving a CD-ROM disc. Example: A site license for authoring and retrieval software may cost $50,000, with no additional charges. This method is usually the most cost-effective if a single package can address all of your CD-ROM publishing needs.

b. Per Title License: A one-time cost and a fixed royalty for each new title produced. A producer pays a fixed fee, and an additional fee each time a new title is produced. Example: Purchasing price is $20,000, each new title costs $10,000.

c. Per Product License: A one time cost per CD-ROM product regardless of the number of discs replicated or the number of releases. This type of license is usually associated with a unique customer base/type (distribution list) but can grow/shrink as required.

d. Free Runtime Licensing: A one time cost is paid for the authoring software and there are no costs associated with distributing the retrieval engine.

e. Per User or Replicate Licensing: A one-time cost is paid for the authoring software and a fee for each user or each disc replicated/distributed must be paid. Example: A producer pays $20,000 for authoring software, then $10 for each user or each disc disseminated. This is the favored approach of vendors but can often be the most costly for producers.

Any combination of the above schemes can also be negotiated. Before any purchase, investigate the number of titles, copies, updates, and users affected by the license(s).

5.1.2 Authoring/Retrieval Software Selection One of the most important decisions to be made when developing a CD-ROM product is the authoring package/retrieval engine used. There are a large number of government and commercially developed packages available. Any product having a significant amount of text should have a full text retrieval package.

There are several packages available that enable producers to easily convert existing paper products to CD-ROM, but they also require more time and effort on the part of the end user to obtain/access required information.