ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2022
Entry 5th March 2022: Post 1: PowerBase, Superbase and Softwood FileII.
PowerBase, Superbase and Softwood FileII.
In the last of my blogs I commented on how I had purchased a copy
of AUI with Superbase on the cover disk. I have always been very
interested in databases and have discussed this at length in a
number of my blogs. Even before the computer arrived I had been
creating crude card index style databases using cards with simple
holes or slots in the end, depending on a yes and no answer. With
the ZX81 the first thing I did was write my own database program.
Along came the PCW9512 and I used RPED to create a database. It is
no surprise that one of the first bits of software I purchased for
the A1200 was PowerBase.
Although PowerBase was fine, I found the time taken to add data
limited the creation of the database. I would then change my mind
and have to edit the entries throughout. Don't get me wrong there
was nothing wrong with PowerBase, it was more about idiot me.
Along came Superbase and I must have purchased any number of the
versions. I had little more success with Superbase. Same problem
really as the aspirations of the search results caused a log jam
to data entry. In truth it just took too long.
The saviour was Softwood FileII cus with this the field generator
was just so bonkers easy, making the customisation a doddle. You
could change the field sizes at will and write what you like. It
really was brilliant and I shelled out for the manual and eventually
a bag more products from Softwood.
You can also use the Wordworth package for databases plus the very
splendid MiniOffice. Any will do. I just can never limit my
aspirations for the search perimeters and so the field numbers just
grow exponentially. Interestingly all is solved with 'NOTEPAD' on
the Windows machine cus both the basic doc plus the HTML have the
search function and it will find any number of entries with a key
word. Just keep hitting F3. Job done.
I show here the CUAmiga magazine that has the Softwood FileII guide
inside plus the cover disk along with the best gift of software like
ever, and that is DOpusIV CUAmiga Disk 100.
In the day it really was very common for users to build up a series
of contacts for software and PD disks. I would regularly receive
newsletters from these guys and often I would buy more software.
People like Epic kept me in stocks of joysticks, cables etc for as
long as I could remember. It was a different world then, without
the internet and I still can't get out the habit of preferring the
magazine articles for serious journalistic content and advice.
Anyhoo I feature the said software here today. I managed to get
PowerBase and Softwood working on the emulator to take better shots
from the screen. Sadly Superbase uses a dongle and there really was
nowhere to stick it in the PC. Didn't take me long to get into the
swing of using the software. PowerBase was actually a lot easier
than I remember. Softwood stumped me for a while until I remembered
that you had to LIST after creating the record entry or entries.
Happy days. And I still am a database nutter. Nothing changes. I
just have to index and record everything. Otherwise I will never
find my stuff.
PowerBase, Superbase and Softwood FileII.
Simple text search in Windows 7.
RPED on the PCW9512 used to create a simple file index.
My first computer the ZX81 used to create
my very first computer database.
The basis of my pre-computer card based
database. By placing needle fingers thro
all the holes in the edge only those cards
that met all the perameters would fall from
the selection process.
Superbase Personal
Superbase Personal
Superbase Personal
Superbase Personal
Superbase and Softwood
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