[comp.protocols.appletalk] Anyone use "Appointment Diaries", by JAM Software?

chip@pender.ee.upenn.edu (Charles H. Buchholtz) (03/06/90)

One of the professors here wants an electronic appointment calendar
that his secretary can read and update over the net.  He found an
advertisement for "Multi-User Appointment Diary with Smart Alarms", by
"JAM Software".  Does anyone know anything about this?  Does it work?
Relatively bug-free?  Does it hog the net?  What are it's mechanics,
that is, exactly how does it work?

Please respond via email; if I get more than two "me-too"s, I will
post a summary.

Charles H. Buchholtz                           chip@ee.upenn.edu
Systems Programmer                             (215) 898-2284
Department of Electrical Engineering           200 S. 33rd St, rm 328
University of Pennsylvania                     Philadelphia, PA 19104

rand@merrimack.edu (03/06/90)

In article <21280@netnews.upenn.edu>, chip@pender.ee.upenn.edu (Charles H. Buchholtz) writes:
> One of the professors here wants an electronic appointment calendar
> that his secretary can read and update over the net.  He found an
> advertisement for "Multi-User Appointment Diary with Smart Alarms", by
> "JAM Software".  Does anyone know anything about this?  Does it work?
> Relatively bug-free?  Does it hog the net?  What are it's mechanics,
> that is, exactly how does it work?

We currently have 8 people using Multi-User Appointment Diary and we
are very pleased with it. To answer your questions directly: YES, YES,
YES, NO, and:

Multi-User Appointment Diary is a DA and is installed easily. Each
user needs a copy (JAM has a very flexible pricing structure). For
single-user applications the user has an Appointment file on a local
disk that Multi-User Appointment Diary reads. Multi-user applications
require some sort of file serving software (i.e., you need to be able
to get at everyones' appointment diary via TOPS, APPLESHARE, etc...)

Users can keep their appointment diary on a local disk if they wish in
a multi-user application but it is advantageous to place everyone's
appointment diaries in a single folder on a network-accessible disk.
MUAD will search for this folder if it doesn't find an appointment
diary locally. While it is still possible to open other appointment
diaries one at a time as needed, placing them all in one folder will
allow MUAD to open them all when you select the MUAD.

As for how it works, you are presented with a non-modal window
containing a two month calendar and a text edit box. Upon opening
MUAD, you are presented with the this and next months' calendar and
the text edit box associated with today. You are free to type anything
in the text edit box (up to 32K). To enter text for a different day
click on the day on the calendar. To move back or forward two months
click the dog ears on the calendar. If you want to look at someone
else's calendar you select their name form the DA's menu (By default,
appointment diaries are given the same name as the user's chooser
name.) 

There are many more features. It's pretty simple stuff. I believe you
can get it from 1800maclisa with a 30day guarantee. Try it, you'll
like it.

What about Smart Alarms? Simply put, if you have your mac turned on
all day at work and you have a sieve for a brain like me then Smart
Alarms will change your life.

Rand P. Hall                    UUCP: {uunet,wang,ulowell}!samsung!hubdub!rand
Merrimack College               CSNET: rand@merrimack.edu
N. Andover, MA        "Carrying a spare is negative thinking" -- Norris Weldon