The compact disk ROM: Applications software: It optimizes access time, is compatible with various operating systems, and has the potential for multimedia use

The prime software goal is to create data structures and accessing strategies optimized for the drive´s characteristics. Economic concerns arise at each stage of the process, with one-time costs predominating on the data preparation and mastering side, and unit costs on the production and retrieval side. The problem of the slow access speed of CD-ROMs is discussed. The possibilities afforded by CD-ROM technology for full-text searching on a personal computer are then examined. The work being done to create a specification for interactive audio and video applications on CD-ROM is surveyed.