Some technical notes

We started with the simple idea of creating an electronic textbook on CD-ROM (German edition) and had soon to realize that the practical part was not quite that simple. We used:

hardware

developmental system:

• 586 - 90 with 32 MB RAM, 500 MB and 2 GB hard disc, 2 MB VRAM grafic accelerator, CD-ROM, QIC - 80 tape
• 17" monitor
• colour flat bed scanner, colour printer

further computers:

• 486 - 40 with 16 MB RAM, 500 MB hard disc, internet access, 1 MB 15" - grafic, colour flat bed scanner
• 486 - 40 with 8 MB RAM, 2 x 500 MB hard disc, internet access, 1 MB 14" - grafic, 2 x CD - player, QIC - 80 tape
• Microvax 3500 with 16 MB RAM, 1 GB hard disc, internet access
• RS6000 with 16 MB RAM, 2 GB hard disc, internet access, 19" - grafic
• Since 1995 several pentium computers (90-233) with 2, 4 and 8 GB hard discs, 17"-screen, 64 MB RAM, 12 x CD-player, CD-writer and internet access

software

Programs and Plug-ins:

• Word for Windows, Omnipage, Corel Draw, Coral PhotoPaint, Picture Publisher, Adobe Photoshop, MS Image Composer,
• Frame Maker, Acrobat Destiller&Exchange, PDF-writer
• ChemWind3, Desktop Molecular Modeller, Ghostscript, Rasmol, Molscript, MDL Chime
• Netscape, VisualBasic, HomeSite, Internet Explorer,
• QuckTime, Rhoadster, Cosmic
  

The basic text was read in with Omnipage/Word. Diagrams and pictures were read in from original slides via photo-CD and were subsequently adjusted to monitor presentation (detail, colour, contrast, etc.). Several diagrams had to be designed completely new. All pictures were translated into a format suiting browsers.