Preview of Blackwell Idealist 4.0: launch date February 1996...
You will find a preview version of the version 4.0 upgrade of this award-winning database on this month's coverdisk.* This is a preview of the latest 32-bit software, and you will need Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51 to run it [the full software will also run on Windows 3.1x when released]. A 16-bit version is also available with some differences in the features provided - please call us direct for a demo disk if you are using Windows 3.1x and would like to see a sample of the software.
Blackwell Idealist is a full text database manager which allows you to store all of your information, as you want to store it, and then find it again - instantly. Idealist will store names, addresses, or any other text data, for instant retrieval by anything contained there. It will enable you to log calls, faults, newspaper clippings, bibliographic references, CVs, customer details or any other information, virtually without restriction on the format of the records, and then retrieve them by any combination of criteria. It will store a library-style catalogue with links to documents in an image archive, allowing you to display photographs, letters, legal papers etc within the record or viewable in a separate window.
Idealist will allow you to import information from any regular source e.g. word processors, research data and bibliographic records from online services, OCR scanned data and so on. And the flexibility of Idealist allows you to store them together and search them simultaneously.
Idealist delivers fast and genuinely flexible access to your information; to you at your desktop, to your colleagues sharing data over a network, and to your clients and customers via CD-ROM. The applications are innumerable, but the principle is simple: if you have information that you need to retrieve, but can't be sure what you'll need to find, Blackwell Idealist has the answer. It finds everything.
Win one of 5 copies of Blackwell Idealist 4.0:
In the preview version you will find a quiz section. All answers can be found in the sample databases provided and, as this is Idealist, you should have no difficulty in searching for those answers. To enter, please send your name and address on a postcard to: 'Idealist Quiz (WPC)', Blackwell Science, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0EL, UK. The draw will take place on 30 April 1996.
What the papers say...
'Idealist strikes a nice balance between the features of development-oriented packages and those sought by non-technical end users... Idealist's search facilities are powerful... but using them and browsing the results is delightfully simple'.
What PC? March 1995 on Blackwell Idealist 3.0
'Idealist is the perfect package for creating simple applications which can be searched effectively without having to agonise over design principles... with the added benefit of innovative searching methods, easy command language and flexible way of structuring data'.
Personal Computer World March 1995 on Blackwell Idealist 3.0
Winner of a Personal Computer World Editorial Team Award June 1995.
How Idealist offers you flexibility of structure and retrieval...
1) Variable field length:
No need to predefine the length of a field - allows you to keep adding to your information, and the field will expand to contain it all (up to 250,000 characters per field in the 32-bit software).
2) Multiple record types within a single database:
Allows you to store all of your records together - your contact records, bibliographic references, notes and articles etc. - and to search them all simultaneously.
3) Dynamic, full-text index:
Automatically indexes everything as you type it in, paste it in or import it for use as a search term, i.e. you can search for every word, number, date or abbreviation held in your database, and find it again wherever it is stored. And your search results will be delivered back to you almost immediately. Also features wildcard and 'soundslike' searches.
Some of the features new to version 4.0: rich text fields, full security features, scroll bars in fields, overview box redesigned and viewable in a 'split screen', graphics viewable in separate window, improved search engine, developers API and many others.
32-bit vs 16-bit Editions (Windows):
32-bit Edition has a maximum of one million records per database and performs significantly better on large databases. The 32-bit software is available on subscription only. Subscription includes Idealist disks and User's Guide, technical support for the year, a minimum of 2 additional updates during 1996, and a technical support booklet. Subscriptions run from January to December.
16-bit Edition is the software for Windows 3.1x, and has a maximum 16,300 records per database. Contains all 32-bit features with the exception of: rich text fields; increased upper field limit (64,000 characters in the 16-bit as opposed to 250,000 characters in the 32-bit); security features; new overview facility; scrolling option in layouts.
What you will need to run Idealist:
Recommended system requirements:
32-bit Edition: Windows 95/Windows NT 3.51/Windows 3.1x with Win32s 1.3 file extensions (supplied with Idealist) and a minimum of 8Mbytes of RAM.
16-bit Edition: Windows 3.1x running on a 386sx or better with 4Mbytes of RAM.
Price:
Idealist 32-bit edition 1996 subscription ú149.50 + VAT each
Idealist 16-bit edition Complete copy/ies ú99.50 + VAT each
Postage: add ú4 in the UK, ú7 rest of the world per copy. Please allow up to 14 days for delivery.
TO ORDER, OR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Julia Walker
Blackwell Science Ltd
Osney Mead
Oxford
OX2 0EL
Tel: (01865) 206206
Fax: (01865) 791738
e-mail: idealist@blacksci.co.uk
WWW: URL:http://www.blacksci.co.uk
*please note that the preview version will expire 30 June 1996. Print facilities are not provided with the preview version.
