OVER 2 YOU, 103 (22/10/02)

CONSERVATION PROJECT

My husband and I plan to build a small conservatory cum extension onto the side of our kitchen.  Can anyone recommend any software that we can use to help us with our planning?
Sandra Worden

Ultraframe have some excellent software, which enables people to design their conservatory and to see how it would look on their house.  It is available from any company using the Ultraframe roofing system.  Ultraframe's telephone number is: 01200 452379.

Brian Coleman-Smith,
Beattie Financial

I worked in IT for 30 years and there are still some things, which are
more easily done without computers. I would advise Sandra Worden and her husband to obtain a few large (A3) sheets of graph paper, printed in centimetres and millimetres or inches and tenths and draw an outline of their kitchen/conservatory Use a scale of 1cm to 20cm or 1 inch to 2 feet. Mark positions of doors, windows, fixed pipe work, electrical fittings and any fixed units etc. then cut scale shapes for all movable appliances (allow for spaces at sides and back) and furniture from thin coloured card and arrange them at will. Small dabs of 'Blutack' on the back can be used to stop inadvertent movement. More than one set of drawings and 'parts' allow side-by-side comparison of different arrangements.

I can almost guarantee that this will be quicker and easier than amateur use of a computer package; it can be done on a tabletop and picked up and carried around the proposed location. It can be left somewhere convenient and changed at will in moments. Computer packages seem attractive but often involve a considerable learning curve, and tailored programs rarely allow accurate representation of existing situations. They're great for professionals starting with a blank sheet but most frustrating for occasional home use.
Dave Eddy, Waterlooville, Hampshire

CHINESE PUZZLE

I am looking for software that will translate English and print it in Chinese. Is this possible?

Bernie, via email

If your demands are small, Babelfish http://babelfish.altavista.com/ will translate up to 150 words at a time. Note that one must have a Chinese character installed on your computer set to display the output. These can be obtained through the Windows Update link. Babelfish's sponsor, Systran, claims it has English to Chinese software in development. Their website offers web-based translation at http://www.systranet.com/systran/net. There is a free trial period.

Sue Sanchez

PICTURE CATALOGUE

I am searching for a suitable database that would enable the cataloguing of ca. 20,000 slides (traditional card/plastic mounts). Each slide needs to be catalogued according to geographic location, subject matter, date plus reference number. A search mechanism is required in order to identify any single image. The database will form the basis to a web-based picture library and therefore would need to be compatible with Internet technology.
Tim Labrum, via email

I would suggest Superbase For Windows, which I have been using for a number of years. Not only will it include any fields required by the user, but it also has the facility to include pictures (i.e. slides etc.) with each entry.Go to www.superbase.com/ for more information.
David Dawson-Taylor

Your correspondent should have a look at the Sentences database management system available from www.lazysoft.com I have had a demonstration of the product and it would appear to fit the bill.  There are some trial databases - including a 10,000-person database – on its web site that you can evaluate the product over the web prior to making any decision to purchase.  To access the databases you will have to download a Java applet (it does it all for you!) and then you can play!  The test databases are located at http://www.lazysoft.com/runsentences/Default.htm 

Chris Bailey

In my opinion, Tim Labrum's on-line image database problem is calling out for LAMP, or at least part thereof. LAMP is Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. Linux is not essential, although desirable (!); Apache takes care of the Web serving part; MySQL is the database component; PHP is a highly flexible scripting language, which ties in all of these components and provides the interactivity from the end-users point of view. Linux is the highly capable operating system that can serve as a platform for the other three, although, if I recall correctly, they will run on Windows.

The good thing is that all of the component parts mentioned above are free. The downside is that you need to either (a) be technically competent to exploit this, or (b) invest in the services of someone else who is. From a hosting perspective, there are numerous providers who can host this solution at a competitive rate, or alternatively a serious enthusiast with a fast, reliable connection could host it themselves.

Depending on the end-use required; this represents a most flexible, scalable and capable solution. There may be proprietary software capable of performing this function, but if there is I am unaware of it. A bespoke solution would almost certainly cost a lot and fall short on some of the
plusses I have just outlined.
Sean Gibbins

I have been engaged on the same exercise of cataloguing 40 years of colour slides and have used the database, which comes with the Microsoft Works package. Works comes with a great deal else and cost around £100 last year.  The database is not correlational but is simple to set up and use.

Philip Edwards

I have written a piece of software for cataloguing, sorting and retrieving digital images. It uses professional database techniques and catalogues according to geographical location, subject matter, date, time and a reference number - just as Tim asks. The program is easy to use, but has SQL query capability for advanced users.

I plan to market this software in the near future, but would appreciate an opportunity to beta trial with a user (or user group) prepared to offer feedback to aid in future development.

I am ready to provide not only the software but also technical help to the right person or organization who will assist with beta trials.
Mike Ayres, via email

CONTACTS

I use the contacts section of Outlook 2000 to keep the membership records of a club with nearly 1000 members. The forms have been customised with fields to record the various subscriptions paid. These have been formatted to currency so that they display a leading £ sign. However, when I print the form from the "All Fields" page only the numeric value of these fields is printed. How can I make the print include the £ sign?
Brian Rees, Sidmouth, Devon

Microsoft sponsors numerous public newsgroups to support their products.  I have found all my Outlook related queries promptly and effectively answered by knowledgeable specialists at microsoft.public.outlook.

Richard Howes, Vancouver, British Columbia

DRIDFILL SPOLLING

I am a dreadful speller. Often spell-checkers cannot interpret my attempts to pitiful attempts to phonetically spell words. Is there a web-based-spell checker that can do this? (I have been looking for the correct spelling of "bizzerk" for an hour!)

Dave Null, via email

Tucked away at the end of the typically prolific websites recommended to Dave Null (Over 2 You 8/10/02) for his humble admission of spelling difficulties, exemplified by berserk, is the recommendation from Ted Morley to use "a dictionary and thesaurus", in writing.

This is a precious antidote to the expectation that "some computer program" will resolve all difficulties.  Other replies remind us that "phonetic" spelling (short of a very specialised International. Phonetic Association system of symbols) is another illusion.

The remedy consists in occasionally consciously studying words.  The immediate solution for an infrequently read word such as berserk is to think about the meaning, and use a thesaurus.  I tried this out with the most available, Roget's Thesaurus in Microsoft Bookshelf.  Meaning-family of word?  "Crazy"? "Mad"?  "Raving"? etc.  I tried "mad" first: it didn't show "berserk", but included a link: "See frenzied", and that yielded "berserk".

For many people, some words are more often heard than read.  When you do track the spelling down, you can turn to Chambers dictionary (on the same CD), find an attempt to show the pronunciation, which will prove not immediately helpful, confirm the meaning with a definition, and add a note: [Old Norse berserker, probably a bear-sark].  That may lead you to a memory of the Cutty Sark, and what that name meant, and then...  You'll probably remember the spelling, and enjoy using the word more.  And so on. 

Sidney Whitaker

CAN YOU HELP

Is there a basic accounting program designed for pre-decimal currency,i.e. pounds, shillings and pence, not forgetting farthings and halfpennies?It would be useful for historical research purposes.
Tom Hart, via email

E-Bay seems to be the only site that comes up whenever I search for second hand books. Does anybody know of either seller sites or book search sites? My immediate interest is a copy of Access Insider by Margaret Levine Young originally published in 1993.

Roger Coates, via email

I am in my eighties, my main use of my PC is to e-mail and write letters. Because of lack of use I have forgotten many of the intricacies of word processing that I was taught on a course a couple of years ago and so I am continually referring to manuals. Can anyone recommend a book with tests and exercises to keep me up to scratch?
N. G. B., via email