Hybrid CD with PDF documents decision making help

Hello -

I need to create a CD that will have PDF documents. Users should be
able to read the PDF documents by running Adobe acrobat off of the CD.
This CD needs to work both in PC environment and in Mac. Next few
lines cover what I think I understood. I might have realized correctly
or I may be having wrong understanding. Please correct me where ever
my understanding is not correct. Here it goes...

I understand I need to create a 'Hybrid CD' to work both in PC/Mac. It
looks like I need to create the CD with two partitions NTFS and HFS.
And I need to put PC/Windows version of Acrobat on the NTFS side and
Mac version of Acrobat on the HFS side. It looks like, I do not need
to copy the content PDF files twice. It looks like Roxio's Toast will
let me create a "Hybrid CD" image and burn the CD. But "Toast" only
works in Mac. It looks like MacImage (www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php3)
or CDEveryWhere (www.CDEveryWhere.com) will let me create a "Hybrid
CD" image with both NTFS and HFS on PC/Windows platform.
Now, here are my questions....

Can Mac version of Acrobat be run from CD?
Which file format side (NTFS or HFS) content PDF files will be copied?
Is there a PC/Windows based CD recording software package that will
let me create "Hybrid CD" image?
Is my understanding about "Toast" creating 'Hybrid CD' image and
burning the CD correct?
Did any body used MacImage/CDEveryWhere? And, what is your
input/feedback on them. It looks like CDEverywhere is a bit
expensive...
I already own few PCs with CD burners. It looks like I have to spend
my money on 'Hybrid CD' image creating software like
'MacImage/CDEveryWhere' or I need to buy a MAC with CD burner. Then I
need to buy 'Toast' if Toast does the 'Hybrid CD' creation and burning
the CD. I think buying MAC with burner is relatively an expensive
deal than buying MacImage/CDEveryWhere. If I just buy one of these
'Hybrid CD' image creating software for PC, how do I test the CD for
Mac environment?

Thanks for any thoughts/ideas/suggestions...
Bharath

(Bharat) wrote in message ...

 > Can Mac version of Acrobat be run from CD?

It could, but you would have to use an installer on a Macintosh to get
a fully installed version first. Which is not quite easy, and maybe
overkill for the target audience.

 > Which file format side (NTFS or HFS) content PDF files will be copied?

The principle of hybrid CD-ROMs is that the files are only copied
once, and that both file catalogs (the ISO one and the HFS/HFS+ one)
point to this single file.

 > Is there a PC/Windows based CD recording software package that will
 > let me create "Hybrid CD" image?
 > Is my understanding about "Toast" creating 'Hybrid CD' image and
 > burning the CD correct?
 > Did any body used MacImage/CDEveryWhere? And, what is your
 > input/feedback on them. It looks like CDEverywhere is a bit
 > expensive...
 > I already own few PCs with CD burners. It looks like I have to spend
 > my money on 'Hybrid CD' image creating software like
 > 'MacImage/CDEveryWhere' or I need to buy a MAC with CD burner. Then I
 > need to buy 'Toast' if Toast does the 'Hybrid CD' creation and burning
 > the CD. I think buying MAC with burner is relatively an expensive
 > deal than buying MacImage/CDEveryWhere. If I just buy one of these
 > 'Hybrid CD' image creating software for PC, how do I test the CD for
 > Mac environment?

Since I'm the author of MacImage, I wont comment on the other aspects
of your post, but I could rate you to download a demo/trial of
MacImage (http://www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php3 for more information
and <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.macdisk.com/formen.php3" target="_blank">http://www.macdisk.com/formen.php3</a> to access the downloading
page).

Pierre Duhem