[Boatanchors] tube inventory

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Ken,

I agree with Kim and others that what you are looking for is a database 
application.  Excel is a spreadsheet program and poorly suited to database use 
although because it or a clone is included in almost every multi-function 
equivalent to Microsoft Office, they are all most people ever see.  Access is the 
database program associated with Office.  Applications using it can be pretty good 
but it is a bitch to program in because it in itself is not programmable like 
dBase or FoxPro are.  Look for something for inventory running either of the 
latter two.  What version depends upon what OS you are running.  I think 
FoxPro quit at Visual Foxpro when Microsoft bought them out and shut them down to 
push Access.  dBase IV and 5 are 16 bit DOS programs.  dBase for Windows (also 
dBase 5), and dBase 7 are 16 bit Windows versions.  The 32 bit version 
(whoever bought dBase from Ashton Tate some years ago started the version numbers 
over for some reason) is currently at version 2.6 or so.although it looks like 
the latest version I have is dBase Plus V2.21.

I run a full-blown commercial accounting system inherited from my company 
when we were taken over 13 years ago and have modified it extensively for keeping 
up with military radios and manuals so I haven't kept up with applications 
availability.  Do some web crawling.

In a message dated 2/17/2009 6:17:09 PM Central Standard Time, 
n5cm at rtconline.com writes: 
> Would your method revise the number of each tube type
> on hand as you enter another of the same type? That is,
> if I am inventorying a basketful of tubes and have 
> already entered one, say 5Y3, if I enter 5Y3 again, will
> it lautomatically up the total number on hand to 2?
> If I retrieve a 5Y3 later on, will it subtract from the 
> number on hand? 
> That is the kind of inventory I need and am not interested
> in listing characteristics, etc., just the types on hand and
> the current number on hand.
> Problem I find with programs is that the writer tries to
> "impress" everyone with his expertise and throws 
> everything, including the "kitchen sink" in the darn
> program which means that you have to wade thru all
> that "Krap" to get what you want!
> Just my lamenting the apparent absence of a program
> like I would like to have and use.
> Take care,
> 
> Ken   N5CM
> 

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/boatanchors/attachments/20090218/3c9e815f/attachment-0001.html