Nigel Marshall Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 I think Field Marshal is reached at 25,000 posts. The answer to the question, though is obvious. Buy the disc, and then print it all off. Then to stop your loose leaf papers getting all mixed up and tatty, bind them together and put a nice cover on them........ and call them ..... books! Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 Going back to the original topic before Mr Baker breaks the internet again .......... Past experiences have made N&M very strong on copy protection, so I suspect that the protection of this offering will be pretty sound. To summarise, this offering appears to give you: All the Western Front Text Volumes (14) plus the single "transportation on the western front" volume (1) All the associated Appendices Volumes (4) which typically give you operational orders and other sundries The "Occupation of the Rhineland" volume (1) All the maps from the associated map cases (8) reproduced in colour (these were previously available on an older N&M disc). Some 20 Volumes and 8 Map case contents in all and with the numerous "bound in" maps from text volumes reproduced in colour - unlike the traditional and exceedingly handsome hardbound IWM/Battery Press volumes which are restricted to monochrome. The very recent N&M softbacks do offer the "bound in"maps in colour. It is quite right to say that no serious student of the Great War should be without access to a set of these histories. Though far from definitive they are a cornerstone of Great War historiography. A set of printed copies can be an absolute delight and treasure, particularly if hardbound, but they do take up space. With this disc here at the "early bird" price you are looking at marginally over £7 a time for the contents of each of the 28 items (20 texts and 8 map cases), though as others have said the total, even at the "early-bird" price is a significant investment. You may feel, however, that they key volumes are the 14 Western Front text volumes, plus "transportation" - 15 in all and prefer to make your decision based on those volumes rather than the full 28. It also remains to be seen how usuable the digital version is in practice. The search may be useful, but as Chris has said the original indexes are pretty good. As has been said, some volumes of some official histories can be found for free on line. These include New Zealand volumes and all but one of the Australian volumes; the missing one being the photographic volume. I believe that two of the British volumes can be found on line together with some of the British Medical History volumes. If you want to search these out there is a long and exhaustive thread elsewhere on the forum covering Official Histories which is well worth perusing. EDIT - I should have added that most, but not all, of the Western Front MAp case maps are available one of the WFA map discs - I believe it is one of the 1918 map cases that is omitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul21455 Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 What format are files in does anyone know? I have a useless SDGW and several other NMP/IWM disks as they are no longer compatible with the operating systems on my computers. They make for an expensive drinks coaster. Me too. Unless they are able to work with 64 bit technology, there's no point splashing out. My costly SDGW CD is now useless to me. NMP were less than helpful when I rang to ask about remedies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 Me too. Unless they are able to work with 64 bit technology, there's no point splashing out. My costly SDGW CD is now useless to me. NMP were less than helpful when I rang to ask about remedies. Hi If you need to get rid of your coasters SDGW you dont need to i can sort out a 64 bit system just need to look at/play with the SDGW disc for a bit to put it all together,no problem ;) cheers MC.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfaulder Posted 21 May , 2010 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2010 The Flyer makes reference to: Interrogate the text volumes with their bound in colour maps using the powerful search tool adobe reader ... Popular "search, locate, zoom and print" facility using ER Viewer remans [sic] in place, along with full index of all maps contained in the eight separate cases of large maps ... Technical details Recommended System requirements: A PC running Windows 7, XP or Vista with 512MB RAM installed and a 4X speed DVD Drive. Please note this product is not MAC OS or Linux compatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 And what are you going to do when the next techno change happens and they become as obsolete as floppies? Well as long as the hardware is still available to read it no problem .I still have people after 5 1/4 floppie drives to read data from 20 years ago !!! lucky i have quite a few left . MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 Never ever ever. If Windows 8 comes out they provide a patch, when Windows 9 comes out they say sorry, buy a new one. At least that is what happened with SDGW en the tranchmap CD/DVD I have from them. I have both collecting dust. I suggest the book form or <deleted for legal reasons>. Regards, Marco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 Never ever ever. If Windows 8 comes out they provide a patch, when Windows 9 comes out they say sorry, buy a new one. At least that is what happened with SDGW en the tranchmap CD/DVD I have from them. I have both collecting dust. I suggest the book form or <deleted for legal reasons>. Regards, Marco Hmm there is a 100% way of getting it to run but i cant say for legal reasons either and that is not replacing your current operating system. regards MC .....you need not gather dust on either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 My copies of the OH (and sadly I do not have a full set) will outlast them all. They do have good indices too. I understand that even NASA was forced to buy obsolete computer kit on Ebay to keep certain of their key systems up because obsolete means just that. No spares, no more manufacture. The NASA thing may be an Urban Legend. However the fact remains that all this wonderful ever improving computer dodad thingy systems stuff (software, hardware doeswear etc) does date (not work anymore because "There's no call for it") with remarkable speed - its financially beneficial to all but the user - leaving you shafted. Ok perhaps the teckies and those who treat computers as more than just dum tools to do a job may be able to fix, fiddle and furtle. But. But. As a technophobist I back up on paper, buy paper, buy books, collect books and play albums with proper covers. (The do truly sound better than CDs) I hold a hard copy of everthing important, and that's saved my bacon more than once. because they can and do F... you up your comp and print. As museums and archivists all over the world will tell you paper and books last. Last until the very last copy of the document has been destroyed at Farenheit 451. Electronic stuff is just out there somewhere - and its going to place huge problems in the way of future historians - no letters, notes, just blogs, e's and twatters, (in content and in follower) How you gonna find them in 300 years time - well not you, but you know what I mean. I also have a 100 year old jack plane, chisels, slicks and cabinet making tools which work a treat, I have three computers the oldest eight years old, another five. I have programmes which don't work any more and improved versions that arn't. My 'old computers are both considered useless - and infact they are. They have been made so. Stick with books for long life - and a decent return if you are forced to sell at anytime. How much are my old programmes worth? Oh and fountain pens, cheques, cash, the abacus, vintage cars and trouser turn-up work quite well too. So stick with the books say I. (Incidentally does anyone know to whom Naval and Military pay royalties on this project and the many other reprints they offer. Perhaps thay are all out of copyright. I ask this because the IWM charges a fortune for Crown Copyright pictures. Is not the OH Crown copyright too?) Off now to smash the microwave, loose the mobile phone, whitewash the kitchen, beat the wife, read a book and bathe in the joys of a (part) Lliberal Government. Father, its lloyd George on the phone. Best regards David (aka Olf Art) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 I do agree with David about paper and books, they can't be beaten, even if they do take up space and are expensive. . If you want a warning about the problems of electronic format, take a look at Soldiers Died in the Great War and see what version of Windows you can run it on. Nor can you run it on a Apple-Mac, or on the Linux operating system. TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 David: I could not agree more (perhaps not put in such a sui generis way!). As an archivist I keep having to bang on to people about printing emails etc if they are of significance. I have kept an eclectic range of electronic equipment - computers with drives back to 5 and a quarter, floopy disc drives, video players, DVD players, tape to tape players and cassette players to deal with material from yesteryear. Likewise I am left with obsolete CDs which will not work on my 'office' computers now. The big problem with books is space! On copyright, a glance at the N & M cover of the new OH DVD suggests that it is a co-production with the IWM. Enough; time to watch a Hornblower DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Connolly Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 I am currently enlarging my Official Histories one per month from a second hand bookseller at £20 a time. Fork out £260 in one go for a 5" disk of plastic? No thanks! Also, does this DVD mean that NMP are going to cede the right to print the book versions of the OH? I rather doubt it. Moreover, what if our new Government decides to follow the example of our enlightened Commonwealth cousins and puts the whole lot online for free? I also find it interesting that NMP post this DVD as their number one best seller - when I wrote and asked about sales figures for the print OH, I was told that they were "confidential information". Hmmm "confidential" seems to fade in import when bigging-up your latest product! NB Shearer Publications, for reasons unknown, acquired the rights to print OH Vol. 1 1914 "Mons to the Aisne" and Vol. 5 "December 1915 to 1st July 1916"; their sketch maps are printed in black, red and green and are a lot better than dull monochrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 21 May , 2010 Share Posted 21 May , 2010 On the other hand, N & M have produced lots of books which were quite beyond anyone with a 'normal' income previously. Stacke's Worcesters history, for example, cost well over a hundred pounds- if you could find a copy - twenty years ago; Buchan's 15th Div History the same (his South African history almost as bad) - competing there with the Buchan collectors. Regimental and battalion histories printed in small quantities are now available at a, more or less, affordable price. To be fair to them, they can hardly be blamed for the fact that software producers keep moving the posts in the name of a type of progress that most of us do not really need - ie the word processor/email/read CD or DVD brigade. Obviously they have not been doing it out of the bigness of their hearts! But at least they did it - and presumably have made a commercial success of it. I do not think I could ever have imagined having the whole of the NZ Official History (lacking only the Tunnellers [but I have it photocopied]) for a really quite acceptable price. At which stage, of course, I should declare an interest, as my father used to write the catalogue entries for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 22 May , 2010 Share Posted 22 May , 2010 I'd agree with Nigel on N&M: I have a few of their reprints (Indian histories) which would be approaching ten times the price when they appear on book lists in the original. That said, I still buy the originals when I can sneak them past the guards, simply because the smell and feel of the "real thing" is so nice. However, for research use, I turn to the N&M if I have it, because marking a £15 reprint is less awful than the £200 original. And as for Stacke - I have an original (£90 about 10 years ago), but it isn't in the best of condition, so every time I open it I have to take immense care. Several other originals on my shelves are in the same boat, so if I want it for reading or research (rather than as a joy to own and behold), I'd go for the N&M, I'm afraid. I'd say the same about these CDs. The early bird cost looks more than reasonable for such a splendid resource. A CD will never replace the sheer beauty of the original thing, but for look-ups, research, cross-referencing, etc, probably not a bad idea at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartH Posted 22 May , 2010 Share Posted 22 May , 2010 One thing it does show is the huge interest in the Great War, and the financial viability to produce it in a digital format. I still believe the whole set, all hundred volumes plus should be on the internet for free. Does this digital set have all the addendum's etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 22 May , 2010 Share Posted 22 May , 2010 One thing it does show is the huge interest in the Great War, and the financial viability to produce it in a digital format. I still believe the whole set, all hundred volumes plus should be on the internet for free. Does this digital set have all the addendum's etc? Well said that man A Double Ration of Rum No a Triple. Free yes please with bells on MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 22 May , 2010 Share Posted 22 May , 2010 I would only add to Nigel's comments. that is wot I wrote that not that Suzie Generis. Leave her out of it. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 I am still swithering. This DVD will run on Vista and Win7 Check this out Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 I am still swithering. This DVD will run on Vista and Win7 Check this out Mike Mike yes it will with a little bit of effort as per my post above.All it takes is a SDGW disc 20 minutes of work around and it will run 100% .Curious as nobody is Pm me for how ,its not smoke and mirrors (yes its technophobe stuff but not hard) MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 You said something about not saying for legal reasons, that's enough to get forumites feeling a bit twitchy! Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27thBN Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 You said something about not saying for legal reasons, that's enough to get forumites feeling a bit twitchy! Cheers, Nigel Well what i propose is totally legal ..really..its just out of the box so to speak i have a PM from a distinguished Member who i have written in return as to getting started .Soon if he is happy with my suggestion or at least not unhappy i will put in a post to sort it out .The person in question will know that i mean . MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 If it's legal, I'd be interested. I've held back from buying a lot of source material precisely because other forum pals have run into difficulties running them on newer OSs My current XP machine is literally falling apart. The screen is held at right angles to the keyboard by means of a square coaster from the kitchen table and a liberal application of postal tape! I need a new machine and while I am reluctant to buy a new one with a new OS, I think the time is approaching where I might have no option but to do just that. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 Mike yes it will I was saying This DVD will run on Vista win 7 ( and xp ) So it says anyway. If you are saying, there is an easy-ish way to make a DVD play on any new system Windows introduce, then I think we all look forward to seeing your method ...and am more inclined to by this disc if I know it will never be obsolete. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Connolly Posted 23 May , 2010 Share Posted 23 May , 2010 I was saying This DVD will run on Vista win 7 ( and xp ) So it says anyway. If you are saying, there is an easy-ish way to make a DVD play on any new system Windows introduce, then I think we all look forward to seeing your method ...and am more inclined to by this disc if I know it will never be obsolete. Cheers Mike "Easy-ish" - well, yes, if sacrificing your firstborn to Moloch (a.k.a. William Gates) can ever be called easy ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 24 May , 2010 Share Posted 24 May , 2010 I emailed, and spoke to a very helpful chap at N & MP. I told him of my concerns regarding the Official Histories DVD, should windows upgrade from Windows 7, and of the problems of SDGW, not working with Windows 7, etc etc Here is what he has to say. Re; SDGW " Soldiers Died in the Great War CD Rom. This CD-Rom was first published in 1998 and works on all versions of Windows from 95 through to Windows 7. What it will not work on is 64 bit computers, anything 16 bit or 32 bit is fine. NMP are currently looking at creating a 64 bit version for release later this year. " Re; Loss of, or damage to DVD " Lifetime accidental damage warranty If you break or damage your disc just return to NMP for a replacement. This does not cover loss, but a household insurance policy should. " Also " If you have any of our CD or DVD products you are registered for technical support, so it is best to ask us the publisher. " The £175 offer will be open for a few weeks. That seems pretty fair don't you think? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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