Can somebody explain the Baen CD ISOs to me?

JGB · 08-16-2009, 07:58 PM

What do they contain to make them so huge, are they different authors, etc? I have found no good explanation of what they are exactly.

Nate the great · 08-16-2009, 08:11 PM

An ISO is a disc image. With the right software you can burn them to a CD.

But you don't have to. Both WinRAR and 7zip can open the ISO while it sits on your hard disc.

derrell · 08-16-2009, 08:59 PM

Or under linux you can mount the iso and it will act like any other drive
mount -o loop -t iso9660 isoname.iso /mnt/Iso

They contain a lot of things, all are the books are offered in many formats as well as extras like cover art, animations and other goodies. For example the Storm From the Shadows CD contains 46 books each in 6 formats along with the extras.

Here's a graphic breakdown of what is on the cd. Couldn't get the whole graph on the screen at once but most of it is there.

JGB · 08-16-2009, 09:53 PM

Sorry, guess I wasn't clear. I know how to use an ISO(I prefer to mount them vs burning, a bit of a problem since I'm using 7 and there aren't many choices for virtual drives for that yet. I'm just not sure what the organization system is in these baen releases. What is the organization in the discs(IE what authors and how are they sorted) Basically what I'm trying to find is something like disc X contains this this this and this, here is the organization method used etc. I have looked through them, but I can't figure out how they are sorted, if at all.

Moejoe · 08-16-2009, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGB

Sorry, guess I wasn't clear. I know how to use an ISO(I prefer to mount them vs burning, a bit of a problem since I'm using 7 and there aren't many choices for virtual drives for that yet. I'm just not sure what the organization system is in these baen releases. What is the organization in the discs(IE what authors and how are they sorted) Basically what I'm trying to find is something like disc X contains this this this and this, here is the organization method used etc. I have looked through them, but I can't figure out how they are sorted, if at all.

Slysoft's Virtual Clone Drive (free) works fine on Windows 7

emellaich · 08-16-2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGB

Sorry, guess I wasn't clear. I know how to use an ISO(I prefer to mount them vs burning, a bit of a problem since I'm using 7 and there aren't many choices for virtual drives for that yet. I'm just not sure what the organization system is in these baen releases. What is the organization in the discs(IE what authors and how are they sorted) Basically what I'm trying to find is something like disc X contains this this this and this, here is the organization method used etc. I have looked through them, but I can't figure out how they are sorted, if at all.

Each CD is released with a book. It may be a promotional CD that is sent to buyers to promote a specific book, or it may be a CD that is bundled in with the retail version of the hardback release.

As such, the CD usually includes an electronic copy of the book it is released with. In most (all?) cases the book is part of a multi-part series. In the case of "Storm From The Shadows" it is the Honor Harrington series. Baen then includes all of the past books in the Honor Harrington line so that you can find any past novels that you may have missed.

The next priority is promotion of the current author's work, so you will see other books from that author's backlist. If you browse the Storm CD you will see that all of the books listed are from David Weber -- the author of Storm. Some of them are his alone, and others are joint pub's with other authors.

I'm not sure, but I believe that in some CD's (not Storm) they have also contained works by other authors. I don't know how these are chosen, but remember that this is intended as a promotional endeavor, not necessarily as a complete catalog. Therefore, I suspect that these 'extra' books are chosen based on room on the CD and on what authors that Baen feels need the most exposure.

Dahak · 08-16-2009, 11:42 PM

As already described, the Baen CDs are primarily themed to promote the author of the primary book in question.

The Storm from the Shadows CD was built upon the release of David Weber's Storm from the Shadows. On it you'll find the entire backlist of the Honor Harrington series in which the story is set, along with several other David Weber stand-alone and co-authored stories.

The Claws That Catch CD was built around the release of John Ringo's Claws That Catch and also includes his stand-alone backlist as well as his co-authored works, and as an added bonus, some of the stand-alone works of his co-authors, like Travis Taylor's books.

The When the Tide Rises CD was built around the release of David Drake's When the Tide Rises and includes the Drake backlist, including the entire RCN series (which includes When the Tide Rises) as well as his stand-alones and co-authored works, like the Drake/Flint Bellisarius series.

The 1634: The Baltic War CD was built around the release of Eric Flint's 1634: The Baltic War and includes the Flint backlist, including the entire Ring of Fire series (which includes 1634: The Baltic War) as well as his stand-alones and co-authored works as well as the Flint-edited collections of classic SF stories.

The pattern is simply the backlist of the signature book's author's work.

JGB · 08-18-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Slysoft's Virtual Clone Drive (free) works fine on Windows 7

Thanks, I was using Poweriso(not free) and frankly, it sucks.

08-16-2009, 07:58 PM	#1
JGB Groupie Posts: 168 Karma: 1010000 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: PRS505	Can somebody explain the Baen CD ISOs to me? What do they contain to make them so huge, are they different authors, etc? I have found no good explanation of what they are exactly.

08-16-2009, 08:59 PM	#3
derrell Jack O' Apes Posts: 227 Karma: 1939 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oklahoma Device: Ebookwise 1150, Nokia N810, EZ-Reader, HTC Droid Incredible, Archos 70	Or under linux you can mount the iso and it will act like any other drive mount -o loop -t iso9660 isoname.iso /mnt/Iso They contain a lot of things, all are the books are offered in many formats as well as extras like cover art, animations and other goodies. For example the Storm From the Shadows CD contains 46 books each in 6 formats along with the extras. Here's a graphic breakdown of what is on the cd. Couldn't get the whole graph on the screen at once but most of it is there. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by derrell; 08-16-2009 at 09:01 PM.

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08-16-2009, 08:11 PM	#2
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	An ISO is a disc image. With the right software you can burn them to a CD. But you don't have to. Both WinRAR and 7zip can open the ISO while it sits on your hard disc.

08-16-2009, 09:53 PM	#4
JGB Groupie Posts: 168 Karma: 1010000 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: PRS505	Sorry, guess I wasn't clear. I know how to use an ISO(I prefer to mount them vs burning, a bit of a problem since I'm using 7 and there aren't many choices for virtual drives for that yet. I'm just not sure what the organization system is in these baen releases. What is the organization in the discs(IE what authors and how are they sorted) Basically what I'm trying to find is something like disc X contains this this this and this, here is the organization method used etc. I have looked through them, but I can't figure out how they are sorted, if at all.

08-16-2009, 11:42 PM	#7
Dahak Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 1031580 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony PRS-505(LC) & Rocket eBook	As already described, the Baen CDs are primarily themed to promote the author of the primary book in question. The Storm from the Shadows CD was built upon the release of David Weber's Storm from the Shadows. On it you'll find the entire backlist of the Honor Harrington series in which the story is set, along with several other David Weber stand-alone and co-authored stories. The Claws That Catch CD was built around the release of John Ringo's Claws That Catch and also includes his stand-alone backlist as well as his co-authored works, and as an added bonus, some of the stand-alone works of his co-authors, like Travis Taylor's books. The When the Tide Rises CD was built around the release of David Drake's When the Tide Rises and includes the Drake backlist, including the entire RCN series (which includes When the Tide Rises) as well as his stand-alones and co-authored works, like the Drake/Flint Bellisarius series. The 1634: The Baltic War CD was built around the release of Eric Flint's 1634: The Baltic War and includes the Flint backlist, including the entire Ring of Fire series (which includes 1634: The Baltic War) as well as his stand-alones and co-authored works as well as the Flint-edited collections of classic SF stories. The pattern is simply the backlist of the signature book's author's work.

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