Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 13:23:40 +0000 From: Paul Temple <paultemple@ecologycal.demon.co.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg261$foo@default> Subject: Re: Database
>I'm looking for a computer database program to maintain my CP listings,
>various work that I've done etc etc etc
>Has anyone got any ideas?
As I've said before, I try not to discuss this topic for fear of
annoying others - you know who you are :-}. But since you legitimised
this mail by asking (thank you, thank you, thank you)...
Announcing that the promised software (database) for maintaining any
(yes any) plant collection including CP's is now ready. The product is
called GENUSTOR.
I'm just completing the development of a website so that we can avoid
future discussions like this and just point people at it. Meanwhile,
here is a brief-ish description with other notes.
Before I list any functionality, let me say why I hadn't announced the
releae yet. The software was tested by about 30 people including some
of the UK's National Collection holders and quite a few CP collectors
from around the world. Because of the support from the cP goup and to
reflect my relationship with CP societies (my primary plant interest) I
have offered the CP societies the first chance to launch the product.
In return, I offer a benefit of suport for the society (i.e. my company
will give a donation or payment to support the work of the society). I
hope the ICPS does not mind me stating here that it's my belief that
they have agreed to support GENUSTOR and advertise it. Ther ICPS's
ability advertise GENUSTOR will soon be ready, I am told, and on
notification I will be supplying them with details.
I hope the UK CPS will be similarly interested and look forward to
discussions with any member of their committee (hint hint!). However,
this is not a CP system per se so other societies (possibly even other
CP societies) can also promote GENUSTOR and will gain the same financial
benefits as a result.
(Oh yes, the testers can look forward to their copies soon.)
As to the software, it is Windows complient and runs on Windows 3.1 and
3.1.1, Windows9x, and Windows NT. (WE are looking at a reduced version
to run on Windows CE so that you can take your entire Collection List
with you on visits to other people or to Garden Centres/Plant
Specialists, but this is not present yet. We're happy to receive
suggestions for changes/additions from individuals or societies.)
GENUSTOR comes complete with a large help file to help with using the
software, understanding some aspects of plant collection recording, and
some help with botany.
The system allows you to select between automatically or manually
assigning a unique identifier (called an accession number - any
scientifically valid record should assign an accession number) to each
record (manual accession numbers can be alphanumeric).
The plant name is entered into individual fields for Family, genus
(mandatory), species, subspecies, variety and form. Other fields allow
entry of Cultivar name and parent names (for hybrids). The system can
be set up by the user to default to hybrid or species (non-hybrid)
entry. Family name and Genus name can also each be set up to default to
preferred values. In ddition or instead, the Family name can be linked
to Genus name(s) so that entry of the genus automatically enters the
family name. All of this is factory set for Carnivorous Plant and
Bromeliad collections. We could add factory settings for other plant
groups (e.g. Orchids, Cacti, etc.) on request from an appropriate
Plant Society.
A unique feature of GENUSTOR is what we term the "name suffix" and it
solves a particular problem. Those who read the listserver a lot will
possibly have noted the expert comments sometimes made by taxonomists
such as Jan Schlauer with regard to the correct naming of plants. In CP
this is a particular problem. Take my favourite genus - Pinguicula.
Everyone knows of P. moranensis. It happens to represent one of the
most poorly named plant types in people's collections. Regrettably,
there are more than 30 different plant names that appear, each reputedly
a different "type" of P. moranenis. Examples are P. moranensis alba, P.
moranensis caudat, P. moranensis mexicana and numerous others, many
based on location names. Botanists know that the true name for all (yes
all) of them is P. moranensis. There are no current valid types (no
subs epecies, no varieties, no forms, no cultivars). But collectors
have valid reasons to want to distinguish between plants that are
popularly separated by superficial features. The "name suffix" field
allows you to record the unscientific bit (e.g. caudata, mexicana,
alba, etc.) withjout corrupting the valid name (e.g. P. moranensis).
So, with this field you can maintain a scientifically accurate list of
your plants yet still maintain the non-scientific part of the name that
collectors need.
Alternatively, for purists, you can create a record of the name the
plant arrived with and then "reidentify" the plant creating a new record
using the true scientific name. In GENUSTOR you use a single button
click to create the new record and automatically create links between
the old and new records. Each record then allows a single mouse click
to show the linked record.
Another problem solved by GENUSTOR is also very relevent to CPers (and
others). Most of us swap plant (OK - no criticism from those I owe
plants please - when the weather warms up you'll get everything!). And
if you swap plants, you need to swap lists. But two things present a
proble, First, if you're swapping pygmy sundews with someone, you don't
need to print a list of the whole collection. And secondly, we all like
secrets. So sometimes you don't want to include everthing in a list,
even if it belongs in the list. So GENUSTOR solves this in two ways.
First, you acn assign each plant record to one or more "collections".
So, take the example Drosera pygmaea. It's automatically in the
collection of Drosera. You acn the create other collection mnames and
assign it to them. Examples might be "Carnivorous Plants", "Sundews",
"Pygmy Sundews", "Australian Plants", "Plants my friend gave me", etc.
These can be scientific or non-scientific groupings but again are very
usefull to collectors. You can then create lists (on screen, as data
files or printed) by selecting just the collection name. Whether or not
you search or create a list in this way, some plants may be "special"
and you wont want to publish the fact that you have such a plant (there
are several valid reasons for why this might be true). So use the
"Sensitivity" box and with a single click, any future listing will not
include the records marked as sensitive (until you uncheck the
sensitivty field).
You can also record as many pseudonyms as you like for a plant. This
includes both common names and scientific synonyms. And you can search
for records using the current valid scientific name (genus is mandatory
but you can incude the species, subspecies, etc. in thesearch
criteria), a common name or a synonym.
Then there's lots more fields to record things like growing conditions,
source details (wild source or commercial) and large free text fields in
which you can write what you like.
GENUSTOR comes with a complete list of all current plant Family names so
you don't need to worry about spelling them! You can add new family
names and any Genus name that you wish to use repeatedly. If you set up
the Family/Genus link described above, selection of a family will
automatically limit the choice of genera to those linked to the Family
(a feature we were asked to include). And like most shrink-wrapped
software, there's free email support for an initial period.
OK. That's a long enough mail to attract some criticism so no more
description. Two quotes by separate CP testers are: with regard to
content - "GENUSTOR is feature rich" and with regard to use "Hey, this
is fun!".
I'm trying to decide where to place a trial copy of GENUSTOR so that people
interested can get hold of it via FTP. Any advice on this would now be very
appreciated, though soon we hope to find our own website will allow FTP.
I'm happy to begin sales of GENUSTOR (of course I am!!!) and any sales
will count toward the promised support we will give to Societies. Which
leads to price. The price will be in the \24330-40 range (excluding
postage and packing) which licenses a single user. However, if enough
people were interested and a volunteer came forward, I would be willing
to offer a discount for a single mass order, probably in the rangle
\24320-30. I'm happy to make this really easy - if one
person/organisation were to agree to receive all orders and forward on a
single payment in US Dollars or UK Pounds, along with a typed list (or
sticky lables) of purchasers. We would then mail out the order to each
purchaser. I might possibly be able to offer this deal on a
geographical basis. If people are interested in this, I need contact
from a suitable volunteer (organisation/individual).
For the moment, anyone interested in GENUSTOR acn discuss it on any
appropriate venue. I'm happy to answer general questions ion this
listserver as long as others consider it "on topic". I should not be
the one to decide how "on-topic" this is or remains. Alternatively, you
can ask me questions by sending email to:
My normal email addresses can be used for general email as usual but GENUSTOR
related topics will get better attention if addressed as requested. Note that
paultemple@ecologycal.domon.co.uk is my normal email address and therefore is
different from and not the preferred address for email on GENUSTOR.
Sorry for the length of this mail folks. I will announce the website
when it's available but that will only be a short notice.
Regards
Paul
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:35:05 PST