amos pd library to tosec?

[onkelarie]

I am currently converting the huge amos pd cdrom library to single ADF files, restoring the correct labels and such. This process is mandatory to make good use of each single entry in the library.

Would it be a good addition to TOSEC when finished, so that all those amos adf's are readily available? Or am I just filling local diskspace?

[mai]

Originally Posted by onkelarie

I am currently converting the huge amos pd cdrom library to single ADF files, restoring the correct labels and such. This process is mandatory to make good use of each single entry in the library.

Good Idea to ask before!
As you probably know, we prefer to preserve/catalog disk images in its original unique structure, this means dumps of disk images as they were distributed.
Because you wrote "converting", i suppose the source is not any DMS or other disk image format.
I am aware of "Network CD", where the content of each single disk is stored in directories. Its not that ideal, because you cant restore original disk structure.
Right now, i cant find those AMOS PD CD, to check, if there are DMS images on it.

Originally Posted by onkelarie

Would it be a good addition to TOSEC when finished, so that all those amos adf's are readily available? Or am I just filling local diskspace?

Of course it would be a good addition, since it seems a unique Series

[onkelarie]

Each disk is stored in a folder structure, with appropriate S, C, Devs, etc directories included. But as you mention, it's not the diskstructure as it once was.

I will try to hunt down the cd version, I think it's on archive.org.

edit: the cd itself is in the tosec-iso as well btw.

[chip]

Mai, how TOSEC can be sure an ADF was not manually created instead ?

[mai]

Meanwhile i am not sure anymore, if this collection is really a collection for its own, exclusively created and published by AMOSPD, at least there are already a few of them in current TOSEC release,
scattered in different sections!


@chip
There is no 100% safety, but there are a few evidences, such as datestamps of directories on disk, datestamps of the created disk itself and BAM in block 881.

[Thalion]

With collections it is always a weighing up if you want to add disk images when there is the collection available on CD. Best example is the Fred Fish Collections. So i'm not sure on this too.

[chip]

Another example is the 17Bit collection

It's not in TOSEC even if it would be very easy to add those disks

So, i guess it's a choice of the TOSEC staff

[onkelarie]

Originally Posted by Thalion

With collections it is always a weighing up if you want to add disk images when there is the collection available on CD. Best example is the Fred Fish Collections. So i'm not sure on this too.

The cd-rom is pretty 'weird' in its setup. Each disk is stored as a directory structure in a single folder with the releasenumber as foldername. Separately, a textfile explains which directorynumber should have which disklabel when a floppy is formatted, so all assigns will work when booted. The cd-rom is virtually useless on its own to run anything, because of these ASSIGN dependancies.

Given the livelihood of the AMOS community, I'm assuming that an ADF collection would be more welcome.

I can of course place 2 or 3 created ADF's in the zone as a review, to see if you, the experts, would deem it viable as a potential TOSEC collection candidate.

BTW: The collection spans 601 disks, but some are labelled as 'withdrawn' and thus not present on the cd-rom.

Oh, the archive.org link as promised: https://archive.org/details/cdrom-amospdcd

Originally Posted by chip

Another example is the 17Bit collection

It's not in TOSEC even if it would be very easy to add those disks

So, i guess it's a choice of the TOSEC staff

Ah, always good to learn, the TOSEC board needs to agree too of course I'll keep that in mind!

[mai]

Originally Posted by chip

Another example is the 17Bit collection

It's not in TOSEC even if it would be very easy to add those disks

For valid reason!
This is not a series for its own, so no sperate section in TOSEC, not each single disk was produced by 17-Bit, they often take over existing releases.

[chip]

So, we could say 17 Bit disks are hacks ?

[mai]

Originally Posted by chip

So, we could say 17 Bit disks are hacks ?

As i wrote, some are hacks, others are own productions, thats why no own section in TOSEC.
If we would handle this in its own section, a lot of disks would be missing there, because the disks are in other sections.
Lokk in current release, some disks are named (17-Bit) as publisher, others are [h 17-Bit].

[onkelarie]

Since I'm already recreating the AMOS PD collection adf images, I'm now using this filename convention, for instance:

Official Amos PD Library, The #012 (1990)(Weird Science)[a].adf

As a TOSEC naming convention newbie, and very aware this might very well not make it to the official TOSEC set, would this name be correct? I'm using the [a] sign to mark it as an alternative version of the original amiga disk.

Any insight / help is very much appreciated

[chip]

Onkelaire, for what i know, TOSEC staff is made by mai and Crashdisk
So, you must ask to them to be sure about naming covention

[onkelarie]

Originally Posted by chip

Onkelaire, for what i know, TOSEC staff is made by mai and Crashdisk
So, you must ask to them to be sure about naming covention

Thanks!

[mai]

Originally Posted by onkelarie

Since I'm already recreating the AMOS PD collection adf images, I'm now using this filename convention, for instance:

Official Amos PD Library, The #012 (1990)(Weird Science)[a].adf

rather
Official Amos PD Library #012, The (1990)(Tucker, Anne)[rebuilt].adf

As said, for me its still unclear, how to handle this series, some disks are already in TOSEC, scattered in different sections!
Maybe Crashdisk can say something about this topic, since he was maintainer of Collection sections too!

[chip]

What kind of prods contains this Official AMOS PD Library ..... games ?

[chip]

So, mai, which are the features of a collection to be included in TOSEC ?

[mai]

Originally Posted by chip

What kind of prods contains this Official AMOS PD Library ..... games ?

From what i have seen, there are mixed productions on it, games, tools, demos, just productions created with AMOS.

Originally Posted by chip

So, mai, which are the features of a collection to be included in TOSEC ?

Each single disk should be unique, so created by the publisher of the collection, not a simple take over of disks published before!

[chip]

And what about the PDSoft collection, is this one a unique collection or not ?

[mai]

Originally Posted by chip

And what about the PDSoft collection, is this one a unique collection or not ?

no, just check current TOSEC release, there are a lot of disks labeled "h PD-Soft]

BTW, if you use ADF-Workshop, you can see at startup the loaded databases, including unrenamed collections, which Crashdisk has categorized as real collections!