For Immediate Release
October 3, 2000
Mac Users will get “drag & drop” CD Rewritable drive support with release of WriteCD-RW!
TM for Mac OS
Bothell, WA... Software Architects, Inc. (SAI) announced today it plans to release
WriteCD-RW!TM for Apple Mac OS.
The software provides everything you need to set up and run a CD Rewritable (CD-RW) drive on a Mac and use it just like a high capacity floppy disk.
Easy to Use Interface:
Unlike conventional CD-RW mastering applications that require several operations to create a “virtual disk” file on the internal hard disk and then slowly write out to disk, WriteCD-RW!’s “desktop” icon behaves just like a hard disk or floppy drive. The user can drag and drop files to write to the disk; point and click to open; drag to the Trash to eject. It’s that simple, and it’s fast too!
Faster Write Speed:
CD-RW drives represent a cost effective means of low cost storage. Until now, the trade-off has been slow, and sometimes erratic writing speeds. WriteCD-RW!’s RocketCache
TM hard disk cache speeds writes so the user can copy files and quickly get back to work, without having to wait several seconds to several minutes for the file copy to be completed. Files written to WriteCD-RW!’s hard disk cache are written to the CD-RW disk in the background.
Reliable Disk Interchange:
WriteCD-RW! solves the number one problem currently affecting CD-RW users: lack of format standards for disk interchange.
Based on the ISO 13346 specifications for optical disk storage and the Optical Storage Trade Association’s (OSTA) UDF File System implementation guidelines (Universal Disk Format), WriteCD-RW! is fully compatible with MS Windows 98, Me, and 2000 UDF readers, as well as Mac OS 8 & 9 UDF readers. This means that disks formatted in WriteCD-RW! are automatically readable in these systems without requiring any additional drivers software.
Compatibility with Legacy Disks:
WriteCD-RW!TM reads disks formatted with Adaptec’s
ToastTM mastering application. The software also reads and writes CD-RW disks formatted using packet writing by Adaptec’s Direct CDTM for Windows and Direct CDTM for Mac OS.
Useful Life of CD-RW Media:
Media manufacturers recommend CD-RW media for only 1,000 writes/rewrites. WriteCD-RW!’s RocketCacheTM Architecture extends the useful life of CD-RW disks by buffering the multiple direct writes to directory blocks on the media that typically occurs using conventional CD-RW software.
Key Components:
The software includes the WriteCD-RW! control panel, SAI’s “world’s first” UDF read/write file system, and packet writing device drivers for various drive protocols.
Systems Supported:
WriteCD-RW! supports most major suppliers drives using ATAPI/IDE, SCSI and FireWire protocols running on Apple Mac OS 8.6 and 9. Recommend 32 Mbytes RAM. Consult the SAI website for a current list of drives and models supported.
Company President Robert Zollo stated "The UDF file system and CD-RW are powerful technologies that will enable rich multimedia applications to be used by everyone, including even the most novice of consumers. As the world leader in UDF based utilities for the Mac and Windows systems, we are excited about bringing the reliability, ease of use, and compatibility with the Windows world that Mac users expect to the fast growing CD-RW drive category.”
Compatibility & Standards
WriteCD-RW! for Mac OS is compatible with other SAI DVD utilities including: WriteDVD! for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, and DVD-RAM TuneUpTM for Apple Mac OS 8 & 9. WriteDVD! reads and writes to DVD-RAM disks formatted in OSTA UDF v1.02, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.0.1, and is compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME and Windows 2000 UDF readers. WriteDVD! is the only utility that can ensure read/write compatibility of DVD-RAM disks between Apple Macintosh and Windows computer systems. WriteDVD!’s UDF file system is OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association) UDF compliant and complies with DVD Forum specifications for DVD-RAM drives.
What is the UDF Format?
UDF stands for the “Universal Disk Format” and file system. It is the key software technology underlying DVD's disk format standard for digital convergence. Based on the International Standards Organization’s (ISO) ISO-13346 standard, the UDF format ensures that disks can be properly used on all types of computer systems as well as future consumer digital appliances. UDF is fast becoming the industry standard for CD-RW technology drives and other mass storage devices.
Advantages of UDF file format include:
- Operating system independence: UDF is the optimal archival format.
- Large capacity: The UDF file system can store data to the terabyte level in a single volume
- Optimized data transfer rates: Read and write speeds of UDF formatted disks can outperform
data transfer rates of native file systems when transferring larger files that are common with multimedia applications.
- Supports Unicode character set for compatibility with foreign language systems
- Supports extended file attributes used in some native operating systems.
- Supports long file names beyond the limits of current operating systems.
- Adopted by leading OS vendors as the next generation replacement for the ISO 9660 file system format used on CD-ROM drives.
About SAI
Software Architects, Inc. develops and publishes system level utility software and specialty applications for personal computers. The company applies its file system, device driver and image enhancement technology to address the integration and ease of use of input and storage devices with personal computers.
Founded in 1987, the Company has over thirteen years of commercial experience licensing its technology to OEM manufacturers and systems integrators worldwide. As a member of the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) as well as the DVD Forum, SAI plays a leading role in the application of the Universal Disk Format and technology for a variety of computer and consumer applications.
For more information, please contact us at
sales@softarch.com
US Headquarters
Software Architects, Inc
19102 North Creek Parkway, Suite 101
Bothell, WA 98011 USA
Phone: 425-487-0122
Fax: 425-487-0467
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