★ APPLICATIONS ★ BUREAUTIQUE ★ SUPERPOWER - MAILING LIST|Popular Computing Weekly) ★ |
Superpower - Mailing List | Applications Bureautique |
Mailings It is always difficult to comment on programs like this - a specialist utility with a very finely defined application. It could be exactly the thing you are looking for, or a complete waste of time. For people who have a desperate need for a mailing list database its usefulness may even be such that it justifies the cost of the entire hardware - computer and all. The program is derived from Micropower's own mailing list utility that runs on a Nascom mini so it has a reputable pedigree. Putting it in ROM is less of an obvious move than with some utilities. Once the majority of club members or whatever has been entered it is conceivable that the program will only be accessed monthly -hardly an inconvenience to load it from disc or tape. However the principle reason is that it frees the entire Ram for storage of names, addresses and other details, helped by the fact that all records are of variable length so that no space is wasted - typically about 300 people can fit. Ram is used wherever possible for speed of access but you are provided with a routine for splitting the data into linked files that can be read in turn when looking for data. In that way you can have lists of many thousands of people. New names are entered in order so that searching is still very quick but this does make insertion slightly complicated when linked files cross several discs - you have to merge files, split them again once revised etc. It is made as automatic and painless as possible but still involves swapping discs all over the place -at this point the normally readable manual reaches its densest phase complicated by almost deliberately obscure choices of file names. Attempting this on a tape deck, may be a guaranteed ticket to the nut house. Still it does work, and following the instructions (slowly) will guarantee security of data. The program is menu driven option that every time you press the appropriate key a screen of information appears giving help on the use of commands - the documentation need only be worked through once to pick it all up. Tony Kendle , PopularComputingWeekly
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