Re: More on Biblographic software

[David Hallam <davidh@uq.net.au>]

Ozcons
We are talking of two things here.
1       exchange of data
2       standard formats for references.
the first is doable the second is not in our control!

At 09:59 26/08/98 +1000, you wrote:

>Would it not be possible simply to enter compile data into a standard
>progam which everyone has, such as Excel or Access?
Yes it is possible.  Macros exist to turn excel or access into a database
for bibliographic materials. A web search will reveil many. But they are a
pain to use.
But it does not take care of the formating or insertion of the bibligraphic
data in to the document.
Procite did that back in 89-90 with wors for dos!

>No two journals have the same systems of referencing.
Yes that is true but the software has all of the "standard" styles included.
Endnote interacts with wordperfect or m$word so you can insert directly
from the data base. (Also you can download the data from the uni library
and do not have to type it in).

>Whilst I, along with the whole of the computerised world, might dislike
>Microsoft software, they are standard and anything that is put out for
>general circulation via the internet must be based on availablity.
The same used to be said for Macs in Unis. No m$ are not the standard. At
present tab or comma diliniated ascii most probably is. And yes any good
Bibliographic package on Mac or m$ or dos or unix will import from that or
any other bib data format.

I just transported all my old procite data to endnote(on m$95) and then
over the os barrier into bibtex. Some minor editing was needed to remove a
(pds: 404) from the ascii data file but it worked.

So if you choose carefully a good Bibliographic program can share base data
so long as the data format is known.

Endnote works on m$95 and NT
Procite on Dos
BibTex on Unix or Linux

see http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/chorus/eresearch/index.html

for some interesting links.

/dlh.




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David Hallam, Senior Scientist, Materials Conservation, Queensland Museum.
"Without Treatment Development our past can only rot!"
dhallam@acm.org - hallam@rsc.anu.edu.au - http://www.uq.net.au/~zzdhalla
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