[pianotech] Database for Piano Business

[pmc033 at earthlink.net]

Ok,ok.  I get the picture.  Yeah, I'm cheap, but I've seen too many
technician programs end up unsupported after some time, so I'm wary of 
going there.  That's all.  I've found that if I go out of the mainstream I
end up regretting it for some reason or other.  I admire Dean Reyburn for
his Cybertuner software, and his tenacity for keeping it updated and
working in different platforms.  It must be more than a full time job doing
that.  It may be that the popularity of the program allows him to spend
that amount of time on it.  If you wrote a program that only a handful of
folks use, it would be harder to justify the time to rewrite it every time
there's a new operating system or platform that it needs to run on.  I have
a feeling that this factor is at work here.  And, as I mentioned, the M$oft
co. has so many people working for them that they can afford to support it
for as long as they have to.  But I guess that  condemns me to struggle
with programs that don't do everything I need them to do, and aren't as
integrated as PTBiz or other specialized programs.  
	Paul (damn cheap) McCloud
	inSandyEggo


> [Original Message]
> From: Jim Moy <jim at moypiano.com>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 03/04/2009 8:47:11 AM
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business
>
> So, here I am, as a piano playing software engineer, looking for the
> Holy Grail of piano service.  I know what I want, so somebody tunes my
> piano the way I like, and now the unisons are going out.  I can't find
> him any more because he couldn't make a living as a tooner.  One
> talented technician certainly can't spend the days of work keeping
> just my piano in pristine shape all the time and be able to support
> himself, and the local concert hall can have their grands tuned before
> every performance, and try out every tech in town because they get the
> bucks from the local philanthopists.  WHY can't I get my piano
> sounding like a concert grand?  Am I missing something?  Oh, yeah.
> I'm CHEAP and not willing to pay the rates the local RPTs are
> charging, I'm no going there anytime soon.
>
> :-) :-) :-)
>
> Jim
>
> On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 12:07 AM, pmc033 at earthlink.net
> <pmc033 at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >...
> > So, here we are, as technicians, looking for the Holy Grail of
technician
> > software.  We know what we want, so somebody writes a program that we
like,
> > and later it fades into the sunset.  One software developer can't
possibly
> > write a bulletproof program and spend the rest of his life supporting
it,
> > rewriting it when necessary, and all that, whereas the big guyz can hire
> > dozens of whiz-kids to write a more powerful program to be all things to
> > all people.  Somehow, it doesn't seem hopeful we're going to find the
"best
> > way".  PLEASE tell me I'm wrong!
> > In the meantime, I'm all ears to anyone who can make this happen with an
> > off the shelf program that is well supported for the long haul. (Please
> > note: I'm not dissing PTBiz or any other specialty software out there.
> > It's just that there's a history of disappointments from them).
> >
> > There is actually a kind of "universal" system, called vcard, which
Outlook
> > uses, as well as Palm.  My online calendar sends vcard (contact) and
vcal
> > (calendar) files to me by email when someone signs up for an
appointment.
> > These are used to transfer the info into my Palm Treo and desktop
computer
> > Palm software.  Even so, vcard files need occasional updating, so it
> > doesn't help solve the problem (see above).
> >
> > Am I missing something?  Oh, yeah.  I'm CHEAP!  I'm not willing to
spend a
> > fortune getting what I want/need.  I know there are very good programs
out
> > there that are in the thousand dollar range.  I'm not going there
anytime
> > soon.
> >
> > Paul McCloud
> > San Diego
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>