naga@wet.UUCP (Peter Davidson) (08/04/90)
[See note from moderator at end. -mod] Announcing the release of Mayan Calendrics - software for conversion between dates in the Mayan and Western calendars. This software is indispensible for Mayan scholars and for anyone interested in the Mayan calendar. Mayan dates may be either dates in the sacred and civil calendars (the so-called tzolkin/haab dates, e.g. 13 Imix 19 Kayab) or long count dates (e.g. 9.9.16.0.0). Western dates may be expressed in either the Gregorian calendar or the Julian. A date expressed in any calendar system is converted to dates in all the others (and to the Julian day number). Arithmetic operations with long count dates are supported. Mayan Calendrics allows the use of different correlation numbers (the correlation number is the Julian day number of 0.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Cumku, which determines the relation between the Mayan and Western calendars). The software also allows use of different year-bearer systems (three different year-bearer systems were used by the Mayans at various times and places) and allows specification of the number (0 or 1) of the first day in the haab month. Thus it may be used with Mayan dates from the Dresden, Paris and Madrid codices and with dates from other sources. When a tzolkin/haab date is entered the software displays which year-bearer system(s) it is consistent with, and allows identification of all Western dates within a given range of years which correspond to that tzolkin/haab date. Mayan Calendrics has reference screens, optional output to printer or disk file and comes with a 25-page documentation file (with an option at the main menu to print the documentation). An 81-item bibliography is included in the documentation. This software is an essential tool for any Mayan researcher. Available now for MS-DOS systems on 5 1/4" disk (and on 3 1/2" disk by request). The software runs on both color and monochrome PCs with DOS 3.xx or above. The price is $68.00 inclusive. A self-running demonstration version is available for $5.00 inclusive (creditable toward purchase). To obtain Mayan Calendrics, or the demo version, send a check or money order to: Dolphin Software, 48 Shattuck Square #147, Berkeley, CA 94704 [This product just happened to strike me as one with limited market appeal. I called Berkeley Directory Assistance. No listing for "Dolphin Software". I asked for a listing for the above address. No listing for that address. This doesn't mean it's a phony announcement. It's just that I'd send them a letter asking for more info before sending my money. Maybe I'm just too paranoid. -mod]