Re: [ARSCLIST] 78 inventory software?

[Mwcpc6@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 3/30/2005 10:21:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,
kasia45@xxxxxxxx writes:
I would
like to be able to sort by artist, record and label number (i.e. Columbia
14423), title or by a unique inventory number given by me to that
particular item. At present the collection is not too well organized and
it is time consuming to locate items, and I am also starting to acquire
duplicate items due to not realizing what I already have!
**************

I ran into this problem more than 25 years ago.  I liked file cards but
collating new additions was much too tedious. When the PC came along I used
SuperCalc as a database, and it seems that there was another, but as soon as a new
version of DOS came along, these became obsolete and were no longer supported.

I wrote my own database program specifically for 78s in Compiled BASIC with
fixed random-access fields, but in this form the files quickly ran into the
limitations of capacity of 5-1/4" floppies.

When I finally got a Pentium computer, I found that Windows couldn't handle
the original BASIC program format, so I imported the files to Works.  That was
fine until the next computer (9X generation) of Windows which really wanted me
to work with .XLS files. That computer crashed and burned (literally) and
I've gotten tired of trying to keep up.

I've exported the files as comma delimited text which can be read with a
nything from DOS "EDIT" through Notepad and WordPad to most, if not all, word
processors, spreadsheets, or (with some manipulation) databases.  I update the
files using any computer software handy (even Edlin!).  I import them to any
spreadsheet that happens to be available for sorting and checking. The DOS "FIND"
command is great for locating every instance of a particular word or number.
Of course anything can be found with the Find of Notepad etc.

Typical entries look like:

10LP- 108, Columbia, ML 2009, Rossini: William Tell - Overture, Andre
Kostelanetz
10LP- 109, Columbia, ML 2011, Strauss Waltzes, Andre Kostelanetz
10LP- 110, Columbia, ML 2015, South of the Border, Morton Gould
10LP- 111, Columbia, ML 2021, Soft Lights and Sweet Music, Morton Gould
10LP- 112, Columbia, ML 2026, Music of George Gershwin, Andre Kostelanetz
10LP- 113, Columbia, ML 2028, Do Your Remember?, Morton Gould

In this format, it only takes a few seconds per entry to type in the data.
There is a restriction: no commas or double quotes within fields, to maintain
compatibility with spreadsheets.  Still, I'll probably never get to 30,000
entries in this form.  I'm still working my way through the first three fields for
the 78s!

Mike Csontos