New Bonsai Management Software

bwaynef

As regards the question relating to the necessary number of photos, a well-designed database will allow this number to be flexible rather than static. Its been a while since I've had any formal study of db design, but I think a rationally normalized db (and therefore well-designed db) would offer the flexibility to add as many (or as few) pictures as the user sees fit.

As for specifics, ...I don't really have any. I'm not really going to be using the software and haven't used any of them in the past so I don't know what I'd be looking for. I was just offering suggestions from what I imagine the user would want. As someone who's done a little coding & db design in the past, I thought it'd be a good project to weigh in on.

Re: the show-stopper, see the paragraph above. If I was going to use the software I'd seriously prefer it not to be MS-centric, though if it was a wonderful product I'd be more inclined. ...but this gets into the ideological and I doubt most here are interested in my computing ideals.

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BONSAI_OUTLAW

I was talking about this with some friends who are even more into growing cactus than I am and they said they use this program... You might get some ideas for it here.

http://www.cactusbase.net/

Ths was what friend said about it.

"This is the coolest thing you could have for keeping track of your plants down to the
most meticulous and rediculous of details. A must have if you have a large collection or just like to keep great details. Infinite photos possible, details of the pot it is in, temperatures, days, months, years, parentage, qualities, propagation, fertilization, collection #'s, etc.... These are just a few of the details possible for keeping official records of your plants. Many thanks to a certain member who shall remain nameless for passing this extremely valuable resource on to me. The cost is a bit to swallow but well worth it if you have a serious collection to keep track of. If you are a purchaser of Epi-Viewer, this is what it should have been AND you even get a reply if you have any questions about your new database. I have no "interests" in this company or individual who made this; I just felt the need to pass on the info about this really cool database. I'd have to give this 4 1/2 stars out of 5 possible. Only reason I leave a half is just in case it gets new upgrades that make it even better.

bonsaikc

I like the look of the interface on the link in Bonsai Outlaw's post. Here are a few things I would like to see on software:

1. The ability to sort by different criteria: Watering needs, soil composition, pruning practice, etc.

2. The ability to sort photos easily and quickly

3. A thumbnail window to make it easy to choose the specific tree you are looking for

It seems that the cactus software mentioned offers information about cultivation of many species...this looks like a huge job, especially with bonsai since succulent is only one small subgroup of the art.

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rlist

[/QUOTE]Worse, it allowed for no modification for support information, such as specie. I found no listing for Chinese Elm, and absolutely NO provision was made to allow addition to, modification of, or deletion from the species list. TOTALLY unacceptable, IMHO.
[/QUOTE]
I found this out after 5 minutes working with what otherwise looked rather promising, and was forced to abandon the use of it. A default list is good, but you should be able to add anything as well.

I would also like to see a summary page that is easily printable. The main reason is that we can keep detailed information in the software, but if a tree is sold that page can be printed and given with the tree (or, if you want pages to write notes on while outside and then transfer the info back to the software at a later time). Might not seem like a big issue for many, but it would be great for us at ob.com.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

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Ralph

One thing I would like to see is the ability to copy/archive posts and artices from the internet that I may find useful. So far I have done this in word. My concern is that every now and then a really terrific article or how to post in a forum comes along, but as time goes by, and web sites change the information gets lost into the ether. So I want to make my own personal archive of this. If I can add it to a magement tool, by species or design or something like that, I can centrally manage it all.

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bonsaikc

OOOOhh, what he said! But then I think, "What if he cuts and pastes misleading or incorrect information and I am not there to correct it?" Sorry, I guess you just have to drop the project.

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jfecme

I haven't had any experience with bonsai software and would be willing to test it as a "ground up" user who can follow instructions and make comments on that.

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BrianP03103

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kcpoole

I will be waiting
Ken

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