Re: [libreoffice-users] documentation for LO base

Hi everybody,

I agree with Mark.

The question itself is interesting but an answer does not explain 
anything relevant.

Let us turn the question around:how many people should use LO-Base if 
there was a LibO-version available that is ready to use, reliable, and 
free of problems (bugs).

If

> > its installing instructions should be complete, consequent, and placed 
in one easy to find place

> > the program's every single detail should work  -- functions, features, 
processes at a level (e.g.) similar to MSAccess (2003) --the ability to 
build decent reports included (and the embedded db-engine and its guides 
up-dated and supported)

> > the guiding documentation (& help) should be logic, understandable and 
in every detail correlating with the program

With the exception of heavy industrial systems the need and 
possibilities of up to medium complex databases in everyday life at home 
are unlimited -- only limited by the decision to start creating.

There are really nothing difficult in creating such "home databases"-- 
no need to be an "Einstein", if only good guidings are available. 
Creating database applications is also a very interesting form of brain 
training -- and the feeling when succeeding is a "yippee". If you know 
how to use Writer/Word and Calc/Excel (esp. as "databases") you are 
almost half way. What you still has to do is to study and learn some few 
basic theories about and how to create the tables and the 
queries(experiment manually, not with wizards, if you want to learn and 
understand);creating the forms and the reports is just a matter of 
following instructions.

If you want LibO to be a popular competitor to MSO (& MSAccess), then 
the rest is only a question of marketing.


As far as I have experienced LibO-Base (v. 3.4.5), there are only a few 
details left to fixed before LibO should be almost perfect.

About contributing

A basic rule in quality systems (ISO9000) is that if you want 
improvement you must first identify the problems (faults, weaknesses) -- 
and then follow up by a plan and an improving activity.

LibO might be a very fine and usable suit -- especially if also its Base 
module (docs included) should work properly, at least as promised in 
introductions.

Mr Dan Lewis is doing a good and valuable work when updating and 
completing the Base's documentation and it is obvious that without any 
help his project will take a long time.

Last winter I started to read and follow up experimenting Dan's docs 
with the intension to send my comments as points of views. And hadquite 
a lot already done.

At this list I several times also mentioned some quite basic 
problems/faults both in Base's docs and especially in the modules's 
features.

I never got any kind of response, I don' t know if my proposals were 
noticed, nor do I know if the mentioned things have been fixed.

So I skipped working any further on experimenting LibO-Base and its 
docs. (I am now back to OO and tries to learn MySQL)

You may take this as some sort of a contribution too.

Best regards

Pertti Rönnberg



On 4.10.2012 18:04, Mark Stanton wrote:
> > Question:  How many people do you know use Base, or have tried to use
> > Base?
> Whilst there is some quite valid criticism of Base, I don't think answering
> this question says as much about Base as it does about the general usage
> of databases.  They are less familiar than word processors, spreadsheets or
> drawing packages.
>
> Mark


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