Garry R. Osan on tue 31 oct 00
I thought I would chime in on this topic as I have been working on and
contemplating commercializing a ceramics application. By that I mean an
application developed in Microsoft Access that would provide software tools
designed to help ceramic artists manage their business. I have been
working on my own on a rather part time basis for about the last year on
this application and have gotten to the point where I think with some
concentrated effort I could finish the application. Recently, I have
gotten some off list encouragement from some ceramics artists who think
there is a need for this type of application and one suggested that I poll
this group in an effort to understand better the functionality needed by
ceramic artists. So the reason for my post is first to understand if there
is a need/desire for this type of software and secondly to understand what
type of functionality ceramic artists would want/need in a software
application. Just to let you know what I have included, here is the list of
the modules that I have already developed or are planning. I do not think
that artists would want all of these modules, so I am contemplating one or
more "Lite" versions that would tend to bridge the gap from "beginner" to
"intermediate" to "professional" artist.
The modules are:
1. Recipe database
2. Address /Mailing List Functions
3. Raw Material Inventory
4. Test tile Database
5. Finished Goods Inventory
6. Consignment Inventory Management
7. Sale Order Processing
8. Revenue/expense Journals
9. Image Database
10. Book Database
11. Clayart Note Database
12. Simple Correspondence System
13. Resume Database
14. Purchase Order Module
Just to address some of the obvious initial questions, this is PC based not
MAC, the intended price range would be from $75.00 to $125.00 and if I
decided to commercialize it, there would be sufficient documentation with
the application to make it easy to use. At this point, I am leaning toward
proceeding to complete and market the software, but frankly I would like
some feedback to determine if I should move forward. I welcome your
feedback either on list or off list as the case may be. Thank you in
advance for taking the time to read this note.
Regards.
Garry R. Osan
June Perry on wed 1 nov 00
Dear Garry:
I love the list of modules you've propose for your program. If you can get
all of that in there, at the price you mentioned, I'd be a happy customer!
I have 1300 of my 7,000 plux glaze recipes in file maker pro, and after all
that work, I found that I could not search the database for duplicates based
on a single ingredient and it's amount. I know that with that many recipes,
there are duplicates! I can search the fields for cone, name, type and other
fields that I set up, but to search for a duplicate using the ingredient and
amount, I would have to give every possible ingredient and amount it's own
field. At least that's the conclusion I came to when I read the instructions!
Will your program, I hope, have built in search capabilitities that would
allow one to search out duplicates based one one of more ingreidients and
the amounts, or is such a thing even possible?
File Maker Pro is great as an easy to use database, but it does have its
limits for what I would like to do; or I just haven't figured out how to use
it!
Regards,
June(Need to get back to glazing, and electric kiln may get hooked up today!)
Millie Carpenter on wed 1 nov 00
Gary
if you do this, please add a calendar for planning. but the one twist is that one
could print off any number of weeks rather than a specific month. and with
squares large enough to see without my reading glasses. and since I am planning on
getting a MAC get someone to convert it for you. also the revenue/expense journal
might be in a format that my bean counter husband can import into the tax software
like turbotax.
Rather than a lite version, just allow for a custom installation.
Millie in MD
> so I am contemplating one or
> more "Lite" versions that would tend to bridge the gap from "beginner" to
> "intermediate" to "professional" artist.
>
> The modules are:
>
> 1. Recipe database
> 2. Address /Mailing List Functions
> 3. Raw Material Inventory
> 4. Test tile Database
> 5. Finished Goods Inventory
> 6. Consignment Inventory Management
> 7. Sale Order Processing
> 8. Revenue/expense Journals
> 9. Image Database
> 10. Book Database
> 11. Clayart Note Database
> 12. Simple Correspondence System
> 13. Resume Database
> 14. Purchase Order Module
>
> Just to address some of the obvious initial questions, this is PC based not
> MAC, the intended price range would be from $75.00 to $125.00 and if I
> decided to commercialize it, there would be sufficient documentation with
> the application to make it easy to use. At this point, I am leaning toward
> proceeding to complete and market the software, but frankly I would like
> some feedback to determine if I should move forward. I welcome your
> feedback either on list or off list as the case may be. Thank you in
> advance for taking the time to read this note.
>
> Regards.
> Garry R. Osan
>
Ann Brink on fri 3 nov 00
Garry- Hope you received some replies directly about your proposed program-
I didn't see any on the list (surprisingly?). I'll make a few comments
below- take them only for what they are...one part time potter's opinions.
Ann Brink in CA, starting to think I should be walking more instead of
sitting in front of this computer!
Garry Osan wrote:
> the modules that I have already developed or are planning. I do not think
> that artists would want all of these modules, so I am contemplating one
or
> more "Lite" versions that would tend to bridge the gap from "beginner" to
> "intermediate" to "professional" artist.
>
> The modules are:
>
> 1. Recipe database
I would like this.
> 2. Address /Mailing List Functions
Good feature- organized people already do this w/other
programs.
> 3. Raw Material Inventory
I would use this
> 4. Test tile Database
I wouldn't need this-my system is totally direct-samples
w/each bucket
> 5. Finished Goods Inventory
I would try this.
> 6. Consignment Inventory Management
I haven't been doing Consignments
> 7. Sale Order Processing
My business is too small to need this
> 8. Revenue/expense Journals
This is all in "Quicken" now.
> 9. Image Database
Sure-I'd move my "PotPics" folder , but if a lot of data
entry is involved, no
> 10. Book Database
I don't need this
> 11. Clayart Note Database
We've got the archives
> 12. Simple Correspondence System
Why not?
> 13. Resume Database
Not for me
> 14. Purchase Order Module
> Not for me
>
>
Don't know if this is any help, Garry- good luck!
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