Roger Bogda:

>I am wondering if anyone has any comments/recommendations for CD
>collection software.  The one I have found that seems quite good is
>ClassiCat.

It's some years since I checked out such software but my impression was
that you were limited to the way the author of the software wanted you
to enter your data.  For years, I've been using Microsoft Works, which
used to come bundled with new computers.  It allowed me to design the
database as I wanted and it has facilities for sorting and searching.
It doesn't have built-in drop-down lists of composers or the ability to
substitute commonly used words such as symphony and ophicleide, but you
can probably do without those anyway.

The question is, of course, why bother doing a database?  Why spend hours
doing a lot of repetitive typing to get the thing established?  It's
worth having for insurance purposes and just for keeping track of your
collection.  When you see an interesting bargain at Berkshire, do you
rely on your memory or wait until you find you have two copies of the
same CD?  There are other reasons, but the one that made me glad I have
one was a post from a lister a couple of years ago - I don't recall who.
He'd been robbed and couldn't make the cops understand that it was more
important to get his CDs than his equipment, and some of his discs were
being trampled underfoot.  I had a flashback to that awful scene in "The
Blackboard Jungle" when the kids trashed the teacher's collection of
rare jazz 78s.  I saw that movie well over 40 years ago and I still
shudder at the memory.

I've gone way beyond Roger's question, but a database of your CDs is, I
think, an essential.  So, of course, is a backup of it.

Richard Pennycuick
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