Just got a mailing from Mark Duntemann's Natural Path Urban Forestry Consultants.

They've released TRiM: Tree Risk Management Software (c). It sems to incorporate a relational database (MS Access (TM)), the ISA rating sheet and various strength loss models.

contact them at natpath@naturalpath.com

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on April 27, 1999 at 06:58:51:

Scott, this type of thing is very easy to set up and use, and you don't have to be a computer geek to do it. Any simple spreadsheet or database program can be designed to handle the simple equations.

Maybe I'm a bit biased, since none of these software packages run on Macintosh, but I can't see paying that much money for software I can set up in one weekend.

Thinking about changing careers.....

Reply to post by Russ Carlson, on April 27, 1999 at 06:58:51:

On the other hand Russ, if you place a value on your time multiply that by the number of hours in a "weekend" and compare it to the $475 off the shelf cost for the TRiM software.

The calculations are relatively simple to put into a spreadsheet if all you want to do is automate your calculations. A little more involved to incorporate into a fully relational database which will give you far better data manipulation, managment and retrieval performance than a spreadsheet. Harder again to do elegant user interfaces and data entry screens, sub-routines, etc. etc.

Having done several thousand lines of code for a database application I will guarantee you that your weekend's product will not be bug-free and time creep will absolutely follow that weekend. In the end you may wind up with a product better suited to your personal needs, but maybe not. Etither way, don't get fooled by the real costs.

Scott

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on April 27, 1999 at 23:35:25:

I work with a couple of programmers who are sure given several years they can automate anything..... I have followed Russ's approach and that which can be done in Access or on a spreadsheet in a weekend or two has been (for example ISA valuation formula with adjusted trunk area calculations etc). I am reminded of the NASA problem of the late 1960's of designing a pen to write in zero gravity.... after substantial research and investment the "space pen" was completed and a success...... the Russians used pencils.

Reply to post by Wayne Cahilly, on April 28, 1999 at 07:58:55:

It's certainly doable and software tools are easier to use all the time. If you have the skills, time and interest it can be done quite well.

A benefit is that you really 'get inside' the analyses and calculations and may come away with a better understanding from the exercise. Shigo has always said you understand things better if you touch them or draw them (as opposed to just looking at or reading about them). I think it's quite similar with calculations and programming them.

And of course there's the platform issue, you may not find off the shelf applications to run on particular machines, as Russ has found with the Mac. (No indictment of Mac intended, Macs do somethings slicker than PCs).

Reply to post by Scott, on April 30, 1999 at 08:24:47:

Macs do most everything slicker than PCs [g].

The platform issue is real, but fading. I can now use just about anything that runs on Windows on my Mac. But I usually find that the stuff does not really do just what I want anyway. The reports aren't the data I need, and there is usually way more bells and whistles than I could ever need. But then, I don't crank out dozens of reports a week. I customize the reports I need, and pull the information out in many different ways, depending on the job. So for me, working with something that I can customize is very important.

I do have several files that I have shared or even sold, that do a good basic job. Not the slick commercial applications, but certainly useable.

Reply to post by Russ Carlson, on May 01, 1999 at 05:22:18:

"Macs do most everything slicker than PCs [g]."

Except run TRiM (C) or match PC market share. Or will any PC program run on your Mac's PC emulator?

Reply to post by Scott, on May 01, 1999 at 12:44:03:

The emulator (VIrtual PC) runs Windows 95. Anything that works on that platform will run on my Mac, in that mode. I can copy across the platforms, too, and a few other things. Once started, I'm in full Windows mode.