Hi guys, I just wondered if anyone has a copy of Minerva Systems Random Access Database? Or if anyone knows where I can download it?
It's supposed to be one of the best database programs on the CPC, but I'm struggling to find it anywhere online.
Also, if anyone has opinions on what the definitive CPC database software is, feel free to suggest it. I know AtLast Plus was recommended in Amstrad Action issue 59 back in 1990, but other packages may have overtaken it during the early-to-mid 90s?
Cheers for your help.
Yeah, it has been discussed a couple of times before, nobody seems to have a copy, which is a shame...
Quote from: Gryzor on 08:49, 14 January 24Yeah, it has been discussed a couple of times before, nobody seems to have a copy, which is a shame...
That is a real shame, I hope someone can find an original copy and archive it on the wiki one day. If I ever track this software down I'll be sure to post here.
My UG used to have it in their library which is where I tried it before - I really wished I copied it... as I also cannot find it anywhere. From memory it uses RSXs to read and write sectors of the disc directly, it is mostly written in BASIC and is quite buggy (the BASIC bit). Seems their phone number was 0392 437756, anyone in the UK able to give that a call to see if they are still there :D?
https://retrocdn.net/images/4/43/AmstradAction_UK_041.pdf
Today we have more RAM and more (mass) storage space. Therefore a new Random Access Database (RAD) could pierce into new regions of power and efficiency. But what would you expect from a new RAD if somebody would decide to create it from scratch?
We also have M4 card and webservices so that we can create online software for CPC too - the benefit as a developer? I can create 1 backend for lots of clients - and yes, you can download the server if you make the server downloadable too and host it locally on a local webserver.
Go to 8bitology.net - the entire SDK is there, the whole website works with CPC now if you call the WS. I will post a video of me logging in and out on my 6128Plus using the webservices available. Also - there is another alternative 8bml - if you want to use render the pages like a browser.
Gunhed, want to make a FutureOS browser? If we code the logic nicely, we can re-use some in a SymbOS version.
I suspect the biggest problem with doing this back in the day is that AMSDOS wasn't really set up for random access files (unlike the variants of DOS in the PCW and Spectrum+3) and anything that depends on low level sector writes is going to be a bit nasty unless you're dedicating the entire disk to storing data (or you're very certain about managing the on disk file allocation tables).
As to a modern version, would there really be any point? You could far more easily manage and query such a database on a modern machine so, apart from "to prove you can", I think it'd be of very limited practical use.
No random file access is the biggest disadvantage of AMSDOS as it doesn't allow professional applications if you don't want to mess around with a lot of small split files. As a CP/M filesystem dos it's strange that this feature wasn't included.
That's the reason why some of the more professional applications like Proword were CP/M based.
But today everthing could be done in a better way on a modern machine, to prove that we can do it, is what we are doing all the time :D
Or we just prove that some things can be done better on the CPC. And the number of examples is growing. ;D