May June 1980 - Commodore Computers
May June 1980 - Commodore Computers
May June 1980 - Commodore Computers
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MAY/JUNE. I <strong>1980</strong> 198O ISSUE .d. &. COMPUTE. 11<br />
An Introduction to Small Business<br />
Software for the PET*. ll. H.<br />
Can DR. DALEY's offer a better<br />
Mailing List Maintenance System?<br />
You' ve seen them all ! Every softw are sup·<br />
You've seen them all! Every software sup<br />
plier offers a mailing list system off some<br />
sort orr another. Each of them has some ad·<br />
vantages and some disadvantages over the<br />
others.<br />
So when DR. . DALEY's decided 10 to offer<br />
a mailing list we felt that it had to offer<br />
some other advantages over all all of the<br />
others. lhers. We have ooffered—and red-and sold<br />
some-mailing some—mailing listt systems before, but<br />
these offer feww things that makes them<br />
unique.<br />
unique.<br />
SERIOUS BUSINESS<br />
When you wish to purchase a software<br />
system forr any business purpose youu need<br />
to give it serious and thorough considera·<br />
tion. What do you wish to accomplish with<br />
the software? What arc are your needs? How<br />
can a computerr assist you in filling these<br />
needs?<br />
We have asked these questions<br />
numerous us times to 10 people people who do mailings<br />
with lists in the size range off 500 to 15,000<br />
names. The result was unanimous: every·<br />
one has different information on needs. This,<br />
off course, means that everyone who buys a<br />
mailing list system, , or any otherr business<br />
software, must find a program that comes<br />
closest to his needs. This is a time consum·<br />
ing, expensive task. We've talked with<br />
businessmen who have become frustrated<br />
with this process and are ready to throw in<br />
the towel. Another option n is to hire a pro·<br />
grammer cr to write the e software for r you u or to<br />
write writc your own. ThisT can cost more than the<br />
cost of the computer.<br />
The last opiiono ptio n is to find prepackaged<br />
software which each individual ividual user can<br />
easily y configure to his own needs. This<br />
would d allow each business to customize its<br />
s<br />
own computer maintained ned mailing g list files<br />
to, , as closely as is possible, parallel llellhe the cur·<br />
rentr e n~ mailing list operation. o Until now, this<br />
optiono ptIo n has been virtually y impossible to<br />
fulfill, ll , from any software publisher.<br />
IMPLEMENTATION<br />
OurO computerized mailing list system is<br />
designed to be easy for r you, the user, to be<br />
able to easily configure your files to contain<br />
information in much the same way as you<br />
currently are doing. dOing. This means less of the<br />
pain and anguish that frequently accompanies<br />
computerization.<br />
io During the programming the author was<br />
in frequent contact with potential ti end<br />
users. The main thought o during the<br />
development phase p was to make the opera·<br />
tion easy to understand, , yet powerful<br />
enough to handle the job. Give the user as<br />
many options as is feasible, with the flex.<br />
ibility y to make the greatest possible use of<br />
the file information. Finally, y. be sure that<br />
the capaci ty o f the sys tem is sufficient to<br />
the capacity of the system is sufficient to<br />
allow most aany business to make use off it.<br />
The final version will allow records of<br />
1177 USABLE E characters in length with a<br />
maximum of 15 fieldss within each record. It<br />
also allows reasonably large capacityy with<br />
multiple diskette e (maximum off 100 dis·<br />
keltes kettes onn a 32K PET or CBM) files and up<br />
to 1340 records per diskette.<br />
to 1340 records per diskette.<br />
WHAT ABOUT SORTING?<br />
We hear this question most frequently<br />
We hear this question most frequently<br />
fromm you. . This is because sorting is the<br />
operation o n that divides the MAl MAILING LIST<br />
system from anyy mailing list system. Why<br />
sorting? Well it is the way that the user can<br />
do such things as selective mailings 10 to<br />
groups with common characteristics. This<br />
could include regional mailings, mailings to<br />
customers of a particular product, mailings<br />
to purchasers orr to prospective cuslomers,<br />
customers,<br />
etc., etc. Or you might wish to make aany<br />
possible combination of these categories.<br />
Try to do this on most ordinary mailing<br />
list programs. p You simply can'tt do it with<br />
most of the offerings on the market today.<br />
This sorting is done by a "wild card"<br />
type of sort. This means that you can<br />
specify the contents off any portion n off a<br />
field for a match and the computer will take<br />
any match for r the rest ofo f the field. This type<br />
of sort is best illustrated with the following<br />
examples:<br />
A sort key can n be: **R**1 uR"1<br />
Matches with FORT#1<br />
RTHI<br />
and T4R321<br />
and %/R@3l% / R@31<br />
Our system allowsa this type ofo f sorting using<br />
up to three fields within in each record. Thus<br />
you should be able to retrieve rieve almost any<br />
conceivable subset of the files.<br />
.<br />
File organizationo o n is done using g two o of the<br />
fields as sort son keys. This again is user select·<br />
able. You u could, for example, specify that Iha t<br />
you wish the file to 10 be in ZIPZ CODE se·<br />
quence or in alphabetical sequence anda all<br />
records within n the file will be sequenced<br />
with h ihat that field. . There is also a second sort<br />
field which is used to sequence the file<br />
where the first field is the same.<br />
where the first field is the same.<br />
WHAT ABOUT LABELS?<br />
We hear r this oneo almost as often as the<br />
Charge C to<br />
your<br />
MC/VISA<br />
M C / S A<br />
DR. DALEY's Software Soflware<br />
425 Grove Gro\'e Ave., Berrien Springs, MI 49103<br />
Phone (616)471-5514<br />
471·5514<br />
Sun.-Thurs. noon n to 9 p.m., Eastern Time<br />
sorting. We ll , here this is up to you. Yo u<br />
sorting. Well, here this is up to you. You<br />
can, at the lime time you print labels, choose the<br />
la layout of the labels, you can also choose the<br />
number ooff labels per li line. If you wish to<br />
have a fo four line address and printed fo four<br />
records wide you can do it.<br />
WHAT ABOUT EDITING?<br />
Edi tin g is accomplished at several points<br />
Editing is accomplished at several points<br />
in the program. These are at the time of en·<br />
try, before saving the records to the file and<br />
from the disk fi file. You can easilyy modify<br />
any record at any of these points.<br />
This docs does not really cover all ooff the<br />
operations o oonn the fi files. Space simply does<br />
not allow a more completc complete description off<br />
the user oriented approach off the program.<br />
We asked the question: n: Can we offer a<br />
better mailing list system? You bet bel we can! !<br />
It's here now.<br />
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS EMENTS<br />
At Al present this requires a <strong>Commodore</strong><br />
PET orr CCBM computer with a dual disk<br />
drive and a printer. It is sct set up to work with<br />
the <strong>Commodore</strong> printer or with most any<br />
other printer. Walch Watch for these programs to<br />
be introduced for r use with other types off<br />
popular pular microcomputers. The APPLE II<br />
version will be available about <strong>June</strong> 1,<strong>1980</strong>.<br />
<strong>1980</strong>.<br />
Watch for it!<br />
ORDERING<br />
At the present time many <strong>Commodore</strong><br />
dealers do not carry our software. Thus you<br />
will most likely need to either persuade<br />
them to ordero for r you or calling us directly<br />
at (616) 471-5514 1·55 14 anytime between n noon<br />
and 9 p.m. Eastern time Sunday through<br />
Thursday. For only o y $99.95 plus'four ur per<br />
cent tax in the state of o f Michigan, you get<br />
this powerful, , field tested, fully y docud ocu·<br />
mented Illent ed program p packaged in a convenient<br />
three-ringed<br />
three·ringed binder.<br />
INVENTORY<br />
We must add this note. There is too little<br />
space to 10 allow a us to describe the INVEN·<br />
TORY system adequately ualely here. It offers the<br />
same flexibility li as does the MAILING LIST<br />
described above, but we can't , tell you much<br />
more. Write or call for details. It also is<br />
priced at al $99.95.<br />
*Watch ·Walch for r it on the APPLE II.