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Very large computer‐based files, such as those for catalogues, take up a lot of storage space, and are called upon for rapid access. Disk drives are the kind of computer equipment that is able to meet these storage needs — not ordinary disk drives that are limited to twenty or thirty million bytes (characters), but substantially larger drives that can hold 100 million bytes (100 MB) or more.

LANs (Local Area Networks) offer a flexible way to interconnect personal computers with each other, and with shared resources such as large central disk files, printers, and larger computers.

Planning to add a hard disk to your computer? One of the possibilities you should consider is a unit that combines the disk with a magnetic tape drive. The disk will store your data; the tape will provide the backup security you need to protect against loss of valuable files.

Your second PC will certainly have a high‐capacity hard disk—as will your first, if you're buying it today and intend to do any serious work with it. The author has some (possibly surprising) advice as to the First program or set of programs you should install and use on that hard disk, after DOS. It makes sense to organize and control the environment; that means working with a good set of disk utilities. The author discusses uses for disk utilities and an economical package that combines good disk utilities with some other useful software to help you make sense of your personal computing environment. Citations from the PC literature that arrived October‐December 1989 omit the year‐end predictions and awards, but include some interesting reviews and other articles.

Large computer‐based files are a natural result of the automation of libraries and information services. For example, a catalogue that contains 100 thousand records, each with 100 words, will require about 80 million bytes (Mb) to store those records, plus added space to accommodate indexes to speed access, software and other related material.

In the context of information storage and sharing new electronic technology has much to offer conventional library systems. A video disc can be a valuable storage component. However, its full potential is unlikely to be realised if it is used in isolation from other equipment. Computers, communication networks and video discs can together provide many novel information storage and dissemination systems for use in libraries. This paper describes some of these and also gives a brief outline of some approaches to providing the all important user interface to such systems.

CD‐ROM (Compact Disk Read‐Only Memory) drive units allow data stored on optical discs to be read into a computer. The discs are essentially the same as the compact discs used in home high fidelity audio systems. Like audio compact discs, or computer floppy disks, a CD‐ROM disc can be inserted into the drive unit for data reading, then removed and replaced by other CD‐ROM discs.

Whether you are buying your first personal computer or considering an upgrade, you face a confusing marketplace that is unlikely to become simpler. You must plan your uses and consider your needs, so that you will know what type of computer you want. Knowing what you want is not enough, however; knowing the marketplace may be equally important. Traditional preferences for purchasing methods may no longer make sense—but none of the alternatives are foolproof. It is easy to make a mistake and some mistakes are more disastrous than others. The author discusses his own mistakes, how those mistakes were resolved, and what they might mean to you. The article concludes with some highlights from personal computing magazines published during April‐June 1989.

Several systems, ranging in price from about $30 000 to over $200 000, are now available to aid database publishers and other organizations in disseminating information products on CD‐ROM media.

As CDROMs become a mass medium for entertainment and reference, the prices of CDROM discs have been dropping while the speed of CDROM drives has been increasing. For example, Essex Entertainment is now marketing 50 CDROM titles through music, book and budget retail stores at $9.95 per disc. Two years ago, the street price of single‐speed single‐disc CDROM drives was in the range of $200–400. Today, a similar drive that runs four times as fast (quad‐speed) can be purchased for about the same price. Meanwhile, sextuple‐speed drives are already available and there is no indication that the limits of CDROM drive speed have as yet been reached. This article discusses both quad‐speed and sextuple‐speed CDROM disc drives, and it also takes note of the many types of multiple disc drives that are being offered — some able to deploy hundreds of CDROM discs for almost instant use by equally large numbers of users.