The Model Engine News Collection
on DVD

Would you like really fast access to everything on this website, whenever you want it, without having to go on-line to get it? Would you also like to make a small contribution to ensure that the web site stays on-line, and continues to grow? If you answered yes to either of those two questions, the solution is a single optical disk which offers just that. Apart from saving you the download cost, it speeds up access to the limits of your home computer system, and provides insurance against this web site suddenly becoming unavailable (I plan to live forever, but so far, Nature is being uncooperative).

Model Engine News offers a DVD containing the web site, plus extras. The cost to international purchasors is AUS$75.00 and includes shipping to anywhere in the world ($70 for domestic buyers). Once you've bought the disc, you become a Member for life (my life ), with access to restricted pages and free downloads of complete model engine plan sets. The information below should answer any questions you might have.

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Static and Dynamic Pages

The DVD contains all the static pages in directly usable form. So you'll be able to browse them using either your web browser, or even a file browser. However, some links refer to sites on the Internet, and others cause pages to be dynamically generated by CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts. Obviously, you will need to be on-line to the Internet for external hyperlinks to work. CGI programs run on the remote web server when you click certain links, so these links will not work for you direct from the optical disk.

However making them run at home is not that hard. You will need to configure your own local web server capable of executing Perl and PHP scripts. The Installation and Set-up Instructions supplied with the CD and DVD provide complete details of one way that a Microsoft Windows ® user might go about this. Linux and Apple Mac users get tips only, but feedback says Mac users have got it all to work, and Linux users generally don't need any kind of help to figure out things like this!

But Wait, There's More

When the MEN Only collection was first released in June 2005, all of the site content could fit onto a single CD with some room to spare. The extra space was filled with a "cookie", the contents of which was meant as a special surprise bonus for those who forked out their hard-earned for the disk. You'd have to part with several times the price of the CD to get what's in the cookie, and some of it is not available anywhere else.

Over time, the site has grown. At first, the cookie shrunk in proportion, then the point was reached where the site would no longer fit on a single CD. Luckily, in that time, technology had advanced so that modern computers have a DVD reader as standard equipment. As a DVD will hold about five times what can be placed on a CD, this permitted the "full" cookie to be reinstated. I've even made the occasional enhancement to it. As of November, 2007, the DVD is approaching two full CDs in the old money, so we still have lots of room to grow.

The disk content reflects the site content during the month when your order shipped. To keep your copy up to date, each month a download of the new and revised content appears in the Members' Area. If that seems like too much trouble, registered users can order an update disk for US$15.

Are the CD and DVD different?

Yes. A CD will hold just under 800MB; a DVD more than five times that. The CD version contained the web site as it stood in August, 2005. While updates to bring it up-to-date are available from the Members' Area, this was painful, so as of early 2007, the CD was declared officially dead. The DVD will have the site as it stands in the month you order it, plus a bigger "cookie", together with all the free plans that have been issued to Members through the download page. All disk owners, both CD and DVD, may upgrade to the latest version at any time for a nominal amount (US$15.00) to cover the material and shipping charge.

Updates and Damaged Disks

Naturally, the disk will represent this site as a snap-shot in time. I still intend to maintain my irreverent and irrelevant monthly output for as long as I'm able, so purchasers of the disk will be provided with a periodic update service that adds new pages, and replacements of old ones when corrections are found necessary. And having once suffered at the hands of a vendor unwilling to replace a legitimate copy of their product when the CD became damaged, all registered users will be entitled to a replacement disk, at the latest release version, for a nominal charge of $15 to cover media and shipping.

Ordering and Confidentiality

Please email me through the contact details given below, giving your postal address so I can give you the cost of the disk with air-mail packaging to your part of the world. The response will also give the payment options available to you. It's ok to just specify the country if you are nervous about giving out full details while you are in "enquiry only" mode. However, I promise that your details will never be used for any purpose other than dispatch of the disk and will never by made available to anyone else.

License and Guarantee

In the plainest language possible, I can only guarantee that all the static pages and images on the DVD will be fully readable on receipt, and for a period of 30 days thereafter. I can't guarantee that you'll be successful in setting up to access the dynamic pages described above, though I will try to assist those having trouble to the best of my ability, and available equipment.

Each disk is individually serialized and grants the original purchaser license to access the content for their personal use only. I encourage you to copy the disk to your hard drive, and you may make a single back-up copy of the DVD if you wish. You can re-load it onto as many machines as you own, but please do not loan, on-sell, or make copies of the content available in any form to any third party. If I can't make the DVD sales pay for the costs of the web site, guess what happens?

Liability

The disk and its content are not warranted as being fit for anything at all, and no liability will be accepted for any loss or damage arising from its use.

Contact

Email all enquiries to me via:

enquiries@modelenginenews.org