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Information about “VRS PLUS”
VEHICLE RECORD SYSTEM by K-Jon Software will track your car's fuel
and maintenance costs. This program lets you set up codes for the
travel, maintenance, and fuel cost sections. It even allows
you to keep track of loan expenses.
This program is easy to use, menu driven, and comes with good
documentation. However, this version only allows you to use four of
the twelve choices outlined in the programs main menu.
This is a two-disk set. The manual for this program is contained on
disk #1155 in the PC SIG library.
System Requirements: None.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
File Descriptions:
READ Program information file.
VDRIVE CTL Default data drive control file.
VDRIVE EXE Program to change data drive.
VFUEL EXE Fuel log program.
VMAINT EXE Maint/access/misc log program.
VMENU EXE Main menu.
VRGTM EXE Fuel, travel & maint log program.
VRMENU EXE Report menu.
VVRS EXE Create/change files program.
GO BAT Batch file to start program.
File Descriptions:
COMMENTS.DOC
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*** Comments from users of previous versions of the Vehicle Record System ***
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"You should have no problem marketing Vehicle Record System Version 1.1. VRS
is tailor made for those individuals interested in keeping track of personal
vehicles. Most other vehicle tracking software I have encountered is an aber-
ration of either a database program or a fleet vehicle program intended for
Hertz or Roadway Express! It's flexibility allows you to set up a very simple
or very complex tracking system dependent upon your needs. VRS reports are
output in such a manner that they are easy to read and comprehend.
As a Civil Engineer, I find the statistical information contained in the 'Cost
per mile' report invaluable when analyzing information to make new vehicle
purchase decisions. It has cut my analysis time so dramatically, that I am
able to determine when my vehicles need maintenance without even looking under
the hood and when the vehicle has reached its optimum usage and is in need of
replacement on a monthly (or weekly) basis.
If you own a computer and utilize it for home management, you shouldn't be
without V.R.S.."
- "J" Bruce Anderson, Arcadia, CA - 09/88
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"I have been using VRS for several months and have found it to be very useful
for our record keeping and control of maintenance and costs for our small law
offices."
- Donald D. Wilson, North Hollywood, CA - 09/88
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"VRS provides an excellent way to maintain information on personal vehicles.
It is easy to learn and use and the reports enable the user to monitor a
vehicle's performance, cost, and maintenance requirements. This program is
an inexpensive investment that keeps track of a major investment item."
- John F. Wessels, Bastrop, TX - 09/88
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"VRS is by far the easiest and most efficient program of this type I have used.
The main menu is logically laid out, with a pleasing color format. All the
necessary information is easily entered with speed and efficiency. I would
highly recommend the program to anybody interested in keeping a vehicle log."
- Richard Baron, Montville, NJ - 09/88
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"We are a small fleet owner of seven vehicles ranging from small pickup to
2 1/2 ton. Many times we add delivery charges to our product selling prices,
so it is a great advantage to know our cost per mile for each vehicle. The
FVRS program really opened our eyes to our true vehicle costs, and it only
takes about 2 hours per month to enter data and print reports.
We are also very pleased that K-Jon Software has a continuing program of
updating their products."
- Ice House, Inc., C.L. Graham, Parkersburg, WV - 09/88
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"I have found Vehicle Record System to be well written and provides accurate,
complete records for the two vehicles I use in my business. I am looking
forward to the maintenance reminder update."
- Farm & Forest Software, Lowell D. Hanson, White Bear Lake, MN - 09/88
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"Excellent program - does the job. Good documentation - well thought out.
Helps you save on vehicle expense."
- Gary's Lawn Care, Gary N. Garner, Lynchburg, VA - 09/88
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"Recently when I traded my car, having complete and detailed records of
maintenance and gas mileage increased the trade-in value of my car by 10%.
Without the VRS system, maintaining those records would have been an
impossible task. I highly recommend it."
- Ed Mohan, Houston, TX - 09/88
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"I have used the Vehicle Record System (VRS) software for approximately six
months. I find the software to be excellent and have had no difficulty in
using it to keep records for three automobiles. VRS provides an excellent
method to generate vehicle operating and maintenance histories."
- Leonce. P. Waguespack, Jr., Avondale, LA - 09/88
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"I got tired of the mounds of paperwork & receipts needed to accumulate the
information I can have VRS generate with a minimum of effort. I recommend
VRS to anyone who has the need or desire to know what their vehicles are
actually costing to operate."
- Stephen L. Posta, Madison, OH - 09/88
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"With the use of Vehicle Record System; it has given me the ability to keep
an accurate record of my personal vehicles. I would recommend it to anyone
needing to keep an accurate vehicle record. It does an excellent job!"
- Kenneth W. Tibbs, Kettering, OH - 09/88
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"I have used the K-Jon Software Vehicle Record System for some time now and
have found it to be a very important part of my software. For someone that
wants or needs to keep records of one or several vehicles, this program does
it very well.
I use all parts of the program. I find it useful to have at my immediate
recall all maintenance, travel, loan and fuel purchased. It is also very
useful to have the cost per mile to show what the actual cost of driving a
vehicle is. This can be very helpful when trying to explain to a teen that
he or she cannot afford that "neat" car that "I just have to have, and it
does not cost much". I am very satisfied with the program."
- Johnnie C. Juneau, South Sioux City, NE - 09/88
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"Sick of those Stickers stuck on the door for oil changes, etc. Keep your
records straight with the Vehicle Record System. You'll have your records
right in front of you when you need (to see if) your auto is due for
maintenance. The mechanics will not be able to pull your leg anymore.
And, when its time to trade your vehicle in, you can give your reports of gas
mileage & maintenance records to the next owner of your car. Makes you feel
good about your auto. Thanks again K-Jon for a wonderful system."
- Gene Bergner, West Allis, WI - 09/88
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"I have found your Vehicle Record System to be a very valuable tool, not only
in my business but also for personal vehicles. Whenever I am in question about
any particular item I do not have to sort through files of paperwork. VRS is
very fast and simple to use. Thank you for the valuable time I save."
- Vincent A. Hall, Hall's Locksmith Service, Flat Rock, IN - 10/88
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"I always used to be bad at keeping track of when different things would have
to be done on my cars. With the Vehicle Record System I have been able, not
only to save money on repairs by having things done at the proper time on my
vehicles, but also I was able to get more for my cars when I sold them as used
vehicles.
Prospective buyers never believe you if you verbally tell them what has been
done on a car, and when. However, they sure believed us when we showed how we
had tracked everything with the Vehicle Record System."
- Jury Krytiuk, ANTWERP HOLDINGS LIMITED, Mississauga, Ontario - 10/88
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"In the 18 months Mitco has used the Vehicle Record System, we have found it to
be an excellent program for tracking our operating and maintenance costs for 6
cars, 13 trucks and 33 trailers."
- Roswell C. Doremus, Mitco Water Labs, Inc., Winter Haven, FL - 09/88
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"Ideal program for anyone who likes cars and computers. It's fun and useful."
- A.F. Young, Jr., Fayetteville, NY - 10/88
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"We have found your Vehicle Record System to be extremely helpful in keeping
track of our business miles and in planning preventive maintenance. The
program is easy to use and well documented. Before this program it was guess
work on maintenance which can be costly.
I have recommended VRS to other fleet owners as a tool to keep costs down and
(for) equipment planning."
- Peter B. Desrochers, California Forwarding, Morgan Hill, CA - 10/88
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"I have been using VRS 1.0 for about a year. I first downloaded it from a BBS
and found it so useful I ordered my registered copy. VRS has been especially
useful to me since February 11, 1988 when I was involved in a car accident.
It helps me log and accurately keep track of my mileage to and from the
doctors and physical therapists (3 to 5 times a week). My attorney says its
the best way of keeping a log he has seen.
The new version sounds extra exciting because of the added features. I have
shown VRS to many business associates and hope they have ordered their copies
from you."
- Allan B. Cate, AMC Computer Services, Faribault, MN - 10/88
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"We have been using Vehicle Record System for approximately one year now and
just by carefully reviewing your excellent report format, it is possible to
tell when something is wrong with one of our vehicles.
It is one of the best shareware vehicle record keeping systems that I have
seen and I highly recommend the program whether you have 1 vehicle or 100!"
- James E. Martin, Bit Image Graphics, Honolulu, HI - 07/89
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"When I traded my vehicle in for a new vehicle, I had all the records, and
showed them to the dealer. One of his salesmen bought the vehicle. I highly
recommend it to anyone who has a PC."
- Richard P. Allen, White Plains, NY - 08/89
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"VRS is probably one of the best software programs I have ever purchased. I
use it 2 times more than any other program that I have."
- Keith A. Clark, Pasco, WA - 08/89
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"I obtained my first copy from a shareware catalog. I began using VRS with the
limited features and found it very easy to operate. I became a registered
owner which allowed me to use all the features. I am able to completely track
both my vehicles. I am happy I tried VRS and am looking forward to using the
new improved version 1.2."
- Herbert G. Weiss, Redwood City, CA - 08/89
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"Before purchasing the Vehicle Record System for our computer, I used to keep
track of everything in a log book and in a file folder in a filing cabinet.
Since purchasing the VRS program, all of this information is at my fingertips
with the "flip of a switch" and the "pushing of a few keys" on our computer.
A complete and comprehensive report can be printed in a very short time."
- Gary W. Jupp, Salmon Arm, B.C., Canada - 08/89
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"I recommend VRS for personal Vehicle Records - I have gotten rid of stacks of
receipts. I have 3 cars entered in VRS including a 1947 Studebaker that I have
restored and am keeping a record on this car for operating cost comparison to
autos of today. Keep up the good work."
- Norman Drummond, Normandy, MO - 08/89
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"I have used the Vehicle Record System and found it to be a very good way to
keep track of my car expenses and maintenance requirements."
- Brian Stults, Charlotte, MI - 09/89
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"I have been using the Vehicle Record System for about 6 months and have found
it very easy to use and understand. In fact, when I sold my 85 Ford van re-
cently, there was no squabble about the price when I produced a maintenance
report when asked if I had one. Thanks again for a great system and keep me
informed of any updates."
- James C. Deane, Phoenix, AZ - 08/89
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"We have kept pen & paper records of fuel mileage for years. With the purchase
of the VRS, we've moved into the computer age. No more long calculations -
just enter the data and presto!! - there's the numbers you want. We watch our
VRS MPG figure to help identify tune-up problems before they become major
problems. Thank you for a valuable program at an affordable price."
- David A. Housh, Mt. Pleasant, IA - 08/89
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"The Vehicle Record System is the most comprehensive program of its type that
I have found. Not only that, but absolutely user-friendly. I consider it
absolutely essential for the preparation of reports for our business vehicles.
Good records of maintenance also increase resale value of vehicles."
- Frank G. Pratt, Alaskakrafts, Anchorage, AK - 09/89
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"The Vehicle Record System program that I have used for the past two years has
been a great value to me in tracking cost effectiveness of our vehicles and
equipment. The documentation was easy to follow and the program was up and
running the day we received it. I wish to thank K-Jon Software for solving a
very unruly records keeping problem and look forward to upgrades of this
program."
- Douglas D. Haan, North Las Vegas, NV - 10/89
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"I have found the Vehicle Record System system to be very useful in tracking
miles per gallon for five vehicles. I feel I now can plan annual budgets
better. In fact, the persons driving the vehicles are now more aware of
mileage.
Documentation for the program is excellent. A person with very little com-
puter knowledge can (by using the documentation) very easily use the system.
I feel the program is an asset to my department and company.
The new version sounds exciting due to the added features which will make
using floppys much easier."
- Nancy L. Devert, Lebanon Valley National Bank, Lebanon, PA - 10/89
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"We have used the VRS for approximately one year. The program handles eleven
company trucks with ease. The program recently aided in the replacement of
part of my fleet, by monthly cost printouts. I would highly recommend this
program to anyone who has multiple vehicles to keep track of."
- Gerald Johnson, Horton's Towing, Inc., Bellingham, WA - 12/89
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"I have used the VRS for one complete calendar year. I use my car for business
purposes. I do not want to confront the I.R.S. for any reason. However, if
this happens I will have clear, concise records of mileage and location for
any given day of the year.
I have always kept good maintenance records. But, never this good (or as
available) as with the VRS.
- Thomas E. Morgan, Fresno, CA - 2/90
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"I love the VRS program & am very excited about the updates. I wish to have
this new version and also the new one coming up. I've recommended this
program to all my friends."
- Linda L. Wright, Hazleton, IA - 08/89
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Linda L. W
FILE733.TXT
Disk No: 733
Disk Title: VRS PLUS (Vehicle Record System)
PC-SIG Version: S2.0
Program Title: VRS PLUS (Vehicle Record System)
Author Version: V2.0
VEHICLE RECORD SYSTEM by K-Jon Software will track your car's fuel
and maintenance costs. This program lets you set up codes for the
travel, maintenance, and fuel cost sections. It even allows
you to keep track of loan expenses.
This program is easy to use, menu driven, and comes with good
documentation. However, this version only allows you to use four of
the twelve choices outlined in the programs main menu.
This is a two-disk set. The manual for this program is contained on
disk #1155 in the PC SIG library.
System Requirements: None.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
TESTSITE.DOC
Vehicle Record System
Version 2.0
VRS Plus
COMMENTS RECEIVED FROM TEST SITES
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FUEL LOG
1) Add a listing for the vendor similar to the one for payment method
if most people are like I am they will do business at few stations and
will get tired of keying in the same information time after time.
A) WILL PUT THIS INTO THE FLEET SYSTEM
The ability to add an entry without having to go to the comments
section. If at any time after the Fuel Vendor pressing (page down)
would add that entry and advance to the next entry. A) YOU CAN ADD
AT THE VENDOR FIELD IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE CURSOR
ALSO the addition of the fields a= AMOCO, b=Shell, C=SuperAmerica
in the FUEL would surely save a lot of repetitive typing. A) WILL
PUT THIS INTO THE FLEET SYSTEM
2) Would like headings to be in BOLD. A) NOT POSSIBLE WITH THIS VERSION
OF CLIPPER - IT CAN BE DONE BUT WOULD REQUIRE THE RECORDS TO BE WRITTEN
TWICE TO THE SCREEN WHICH IS DISTRACTING PLUS THE COLOR REVERTS BACK TO
THE RECORDS COLOR WHEN SCROLLING TO THE RIGHT.
3) Cost of gas to be self calculating, (price per gallon X number of gallons)
we buy or gas in bulk and there isn't a price per gallon on pump, just
number of gallons. A) WILL BE PUT INTO THE FLEET VERSION
4) Should carry gallons used out to three decimal points (00.000) A) I FEEL
THAT 1 DECIMAL POINT IS SUFFICIENT FOR THE VRS HOWEVER, I WILL ASK FLEET
USERS ABOUT THIS AND MAYBE INCREASE THIS IN THE FLEET VERSION
When checking totals, the only thing that comes up is comment that
a record was found with zero miles, check date --- This is always
the first one. A) OK - IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION - THIS IS INTENDED TO HELP
ENSURE THAT THE ENTRIES ARE ENTERED PROPERLY, IE. IF YOU ENTER A Y IN THE
FILLED FIELD (YOU FILLED THE TANK), THEN MPG AND MILES SHOULD BE CALCULAT-
ED BY THE VRS - IF IT IS NOT THEN YOU NEED TO CHECK THE ODOMETER AND DATE
TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE IN ORDER
5) I could not work out how to get rid of the error message caused by
the first entry showing zero kilometer/miles. A) OK - IMPROVED
DOCUMENTATION - SAME AS ABOVE
6) Personally I like the old (form) better. A) SO DID I - THE NEW FORMS
ALLOW FOR THE ADDITION OF OPTIONAL COMMENTS AND THEREFORE REQUIRE MORE
SPACE FOR EACH FUEL ENTRY
8) 1. Cannot escape in middle of reports A) FIXED
2. window into a memo would be nice A) ? - THERE IS A MEMO FOR THE FUEL
LOG
3. window into help would be nice A) ? - PRESS H FOR HELP
4. must highlight how to enter 1st record A) IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION
5. i think it is illegal to alter an odometer (note on replacing odometer)
A) CHANGED DOCUMENTATION
6. Fue.txt will only double space A) SET COMMENTS & DOUBLE SPACE TO N -
COMMENTS PRINT ON 2ND LINE IF Y
7. gallons, if used, not gallon in headings A) MUST ABBREVIATE SOME
HEADINGS TO FIT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE SCREEN WITHOUT SHIFTING
MAINT/ACCESS/MISC LOG
1) This section works well, There are no apparent errors, especially in
the report section.
As an added feature, since everything else is there, how about a field
for the repair order number since, everything done in a shop must have
an order number to honour the guarantee of (4,000 or 6 months) it seems.
A) USE THE --part-number-- OR --comments--- FIELD - IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION
Just shorten the comments field down a wee bit. A) IF I SHORTEN IT,
SOMEONE WILL WANT IT TO BE LONGER - SINCE THE COMMENTS WILL PRINT ON THE
SECOND LINE ANYWAY AND THE SCREEN WILL SCROLL TO THE RIGHT, IT MADE SENSE
TO MAKE THE COMMENTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
6) I would like to see one more to digit column added under the maintenance
screen to aid aircraft owners, who need to be able to distinguish
between airframe items and engine items, or for multi-engine aircraft
between engine #1, #2, and etc. A) THE FLEET SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR MORE
MAINTENANCE CODES - UNLIMITED NUMBER
8) 1. customise, i think, not customize in help details A) DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN ENGLISH & AMERICAN SPELLING - HELP SCREENS CAN BE CHANGED
BY THE USER WITH A TEXT EDITOR PROGRAM
2. very good no problems nice to use
1. use of <end> in browsing A) IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION - END WILL TAKE
YOU TO THE RIGHTMOST COLUMN SHOWING ON THE SCREEN - CTRL-END WILL TAKE
YOU TO THE RIGHTMOST COLUMN (COMMENTS)
2. Labour not labor A) CHANGE MAINTENANCE CODE SPELLING IN SET DEFAULTS
PROGRAM
3. Reports do not seem to single space A) SET COMMENTS & DOUBLE SPACE
TO N - COMMENTS PRINT ON 2ND LINE IF Y
9) In the Maintenance section I began filling out the records
and noticed that many of my records did not have the exact date
of purchase. I would have liked the option to enter a two-column
date instead of a three-column date, e.g., 04-88 , rather than
04-01-88. A) DATE FORMAT MUST INCLUDE A DAY - IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE DAY,
ENTER ANY DAY AND PUT A COMMENT IN THE COMMENTS FIELD - USE THE FORM TO
LOG MAINTENANCE ITEMS AS THEY OCCUR
9) There seems to be a small bug in the "Maintenance" screen
(this bug may be due to the slow speed of this computer). When
adding to the maintenance records, the tax may be typed as .49
and the enter key is struck (<period,4,9,<enter>), the cursor
jumps to the "Paid" column but the codes are not displayed.
Apparently the program has already determined to move to the next
field but the <enter> disrupts it somehow. A) I WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE
THIS PROBLEM - IF YOU ENTER .49 THEN YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRESS ENTER TO GO
TO THE NEXT FIELD AS IT WILL DO SO AUTOMATICALLY - IF YOU ENTER .4 THEN
YOU DO NEED TO PRESS THE ENTER KEY TO MOVE.
TIRES
X) Is losing the ----- line in the menu between Help and Select. ** FIXED **
X) Esc from Add - clear bottom of screen before rewriting Menu bar. ** FIXED *
6) I'm not sure why you still have a separate tire screen for aircraft
this would not be used. Tires go under airframe maintenance. A) TIRES
ARE USED FOR CARS, BOAT TRAILERS, ETC AND IS OPTIONAL - YOU DO NOT HAVE
TO USE THIS MODULE
8) very good
9) In the "Tires" section, a field for trade-in tires is needed to record
their value. A) CHANGED DOCUMENTATION - THIS CAN BE ENTERED IN THE
PAYMENT AREA AS A NEGATIVE AMOUNT (ENTER - IN FRONT OF THE AMOUNT) - THE
AMOUNT WILL BE SUBTRACTED FROM THE TIRE AND CPM TOTALS - YOU SHOULD ALSO
ENTER AN EXPLANATION OF THIS CREDIT IN THE COMMENTS
ID/REG
9) When filling out the ID. information on a vehicle I would
have appreciated a field to enter the mileage when purchased. I
have never bought a new vehicle and the beginning mileage is
important. A) PUT IT IN THE COMMENT FIELDS ALONG WITH LICENSE PLATE
NUMBER AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU WANT TO SEE - THE FIRST FUEL LOG
ENTRY SHOULD ALSO BE THE MILEAGE WHEN PURCHASED
LOAN/LEASE
8) 1. much more obvious as to the workings of the vrs
2. nicely done
COST PER MILE
4) Cost per mile screen is MUCH TOO BUSY. Layout needs improvement.
Try to make it SIMPLE. Eyes don't know where to look first. A) I DO NOT
REALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT SIMPLER - MAYBE REMOVING BORDERS WOULD HELP
BUT I DON'T THINK SO. IT IS BASICALLY THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS VRS AND
I HAVE NOT HAD THIS TYPE OF COMMENT BEFORE. CHANGING COLORS MIGHT HELP
8) 1. you are right about the help being alittle confusing however on
practice it should become clearer
TRAVEL LOG
1) I would certainly find it most helpful to have the travel log completed
by having the meals and parking costs added into this area. When I am on
business for the State, Diaconate (Church) or Business I must keep a log
of all my meals and parking expenses. Some I am reimbursed for and some
I can claim on my income taxes. This would really clean things up for me.
A) ADDED TRAVEL EXPENSE LOG
During the Report Printing (printer) I encountered the following:
run time error (heart) e
At this time the screen kept flashing "Printing" but the computer
system was completely locked up. Rebooting shows a complete loss of
information typed in. A) FIXED
5) When using DZU014 in Report mode, the Travel Code sometimes displayed
in lowercase when entered in uppercase. A) FIXED
If the "Purpose" column is left blank the mileage is not displayed
until you escape. A) FIXED - MILEAGE IS CALCULATED WHEN THE PURPOSE
OR TRAVEL CODE IS ENTERED OR WHEN ESCAPING
I had to use the full stop to separate hours & minutes whereas in
the previous version it automatically moved into the correct space, I
would prefer this method. A) THE : WAS ELIMINATED IN CASE SOME PEOPLE
WANTED TO USE THESE FIELDS FOR SOMETHING ELSE - WHAT I DON'T KNOW - MAYBE
A 24 HOUR CLOCK (1:00PM = 1300)
7) The other problem was with the Compaq setup in that when the travel
report was printed on the second page on the headings are printed
and then the printer hangs requiring the computer to be cold started
to get out of this. A) FIXED
8) 1. same sort of comments "end key" on browse and format of reports
A) IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION
2. location codes for UK, Ordinance Survey. A) THERE ARE 64 LOCATION CODES
AVAILABLE - YOU MIGHT ASSIGN CODES TO THE MOST USED LOCATIONS AND ALSO
HAVE A CODE FOR 'OTHER' - THE LOCATION CODES WILL BE EXPANDED IN THE
FLEET VERSION (UNLIMITED NUMBER PLUS DESCRIPTIONS)
MAINTENANCE REMINDER
X) Heading should be miles instead of odometer. A) FIXED
4) This program only needs one other item to make it just right for the
majority of users, and that is a POP-UP reminder to change the oil,
rotate the tires, get that 15,000 or 50,000 service that will up hold
the service warranties etc. This should pop-up at the begining of the
program in a special screen (not busy), just a statement sort of large,
that says SERVICE DUE AT X amount of miles -- and what service. A) ADDED
OPTIONAL M/R CHECK WHEN LOADING FUEL-LOG
6) I still don't like the way the maintenance minder works, if I'm using
it correctly. AD Notes for aircraft can come up by hours, months or
both, that part is fine. I would like to see it flag me that maintenance
is due in the fuel screen, because that's where I do 99% of my entries.
If it flags me then I know I need to go to the maintenance minder
screen. The fuel screen is where I feel I should get the warning.
A) ADDED OPTIONAL M/R CHECK WHEN LOADING FUEL-LOG
SET DEFAULTS
9) On this machine the bold-face highlight was difficult to see - could
not adjust enough contrast.
5) I noticed when I configured my machine on SF1 selecting monochrome
display I could not tell where I was on the screen, so I had to resort
to selecting color monitor even though I have a monochrome display.
A) CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF DISPLAY ADAPTERS AND MONITORS MAY HAVE THIS
PROBLEM (COMPOSITE MONITORS FOR EXAMPLE) - TRY USING THE DOS MODE COMMAND
TO SET IT TO MONOCHROME (MODE BW80 OR MODE MONO) - YOU CAN ALSO SET THE
VRS TO COLOR AND CHANGE THE COLORS (NORMAL OR INTENSE) OF THE ITEMS THAT
DO NOT SHOW UP WELL
8) 1. ability to print defaults would be nice A) I ORIGINALLY INCLUDED THAT
OPTION BUT DECIDED IT WAS UNNECESSARY AND JUST MADE THE PROGRAM LARGER
- DO A PRTSC IF YOU NEED TO LIST THE DEFAULTS
2. ability to recover "factory" defaults would be good A) FACTORY DEFAULTS
ARE DISPLAYED ABOVE OR NEXT TO YOUR SETTINGS - THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE
CUSTOMIZED TO YOUR NEEDS SO THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON TO RESTORE THE
ORIGINAL DEFAULTS
3. Tyres not tires (could this be set in defaults as other items) A) ADDED
TO SET DEFAULTS
ADD/CHANGE VEHICLES
7) The programme directory space in the defaults in my mind is to
small if the programme is to be installed in a directory other than
the root Directory. In my setup I put all programme's used for home
use in a directory called Home.
E.G. C:\
|
|\HOME
| |
| |\LOTTO
| |
| |-INSURANCE
| |
| |-FASTBUCKS
A) THE VRS MUST BE IN ITS OWN SUBDIRECTORY DIRECTLY UNDER THE ROOT
DIRECTORY, FOR EXAMPLE:
E.G. C:\
|
|-\HOME
| |
| |\LOTTO
| |
| |-INSURANCE
| |
| |-FASTBUCKS
|
|-\VRS90
| |
| |\DEMO
| | |
| | |-EXAMPLE (VEHICLE DATA FILES)
| | |
| |-VRS1
| |
| |-CAR1 (VEHICLE DATA FILES)
| |-CAR2
9) In the " Add/Change Vehicle " screen I attempted to use a
directory which, of course, I found out later had not yet been
created. I expected that I would be able to create the directory
within the program. Since I chose to use several directories,
(Cars,pickups,tractors and later trucks) the ability to create
the directories would be a nice feature. A) ALLOWING YOU TO ACCESS DOS
COMMANDS TO CREATE AND REMOVE DIRECTORIES WOULD MAKE THE PROGRAM LARGER
AND REQUIRE MORE MEMORY - IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION - USE THE VIEW OPTION
TO LOOK AT THE AVAILABLE DIRECTORIES AND VEHICLES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED
9) In the "Add/Change" Screen there are no instructions for
moving between the fields. Need instructions? A) IMPROVED DOCUMENTATION
9) Creating new vehicle files on this 8088 machine takes about
2 minutes. A) AM RECOMMENDING USING A 286 OR FASTER COMPUTER
9) After I had added a new vehicle, I chose it as the selected
vehicle. I then attempted to enter the "Maintenance" screen, but
instead received the error message: PROC. GET_MNT LINE 0, OPEN
ERROR <VEHICLE NAME>.MIN (4) RETRY? (Y/N). At this point the
machine was "hung up" and would not respond to the keyboard
except for a soft-boot. The error was not found after I entered
the appropriate information in the "Loan/Lease" section of the
program. I mentioned this so users would be informed to use the
screen in the proper order. A) HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THIS
ERROR - THE .MIN FILE IS THE INDEX FILE FOR THE MAINT/ACCESS/MISC LOG AND
CONTROLS THE WAY THE RECORDS ARE SORTED AND DISPLAYED - REINDEX THE FILES
IF A DATA ERROR MESSAGE SHOULD COME UP - GOIN TO THE LOAN PROGRAM SHOULD
NOT AFFECT THE MAINT/ACCESS/MISC LOG AT ALL
HELP
2) The Help screens are well done, however, my thoughts on help screens are
thus; for quick reference only! I feel that when one is learning to run a
program he/she should be using the manual. The manual should go into great
detail (examples, etc.) while the help screens serve as a quick reference
only, a refresher if you like. A) THE HELP SCREENS ARE A COMPROMISE
BETWEEN A 100 PAGE MANUAL AND FIELD-SPECIFIC HELP. SOME PEOPLE READ MANUALS
AND SOME PEOPLE DO NOT - THE INTENT IS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THOSE PEOPLE
WHO DO NOT READ MANUALS - PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY MUST HAVE A MANUAL CAN PRINT
THE HELP SCREENS TO A PRINTER AND INCLUDE IT IN THE SHORTER MANUAL - THE
HELP SCREENS HAVE BEEN REORGANIZED SOMEWHAT SINCE THE TEST VERSION
Errors noted in help screens:
1. Maint/Etc. Log - Add- line 13 - eliminate "of list" A) FIXED
2. Loan/Lease - last word "category" before MEMOS section. A) FIXED
WHAT IS IT WORTH
2) "I would be willing to pay $45 for the system. I feel that $45 is a
reasonable price to pay considering the people who would buy the
program."
4) As for cost....Your price will surely sell this product. Its good,
very good. I for one would price it up with the other low end
software products dealing with this subject 69 - 89 dollars. You
address all but a few of the needs.
7) The price as charged seem to be ok even with the dollar transfer to
Australian dollars
8) Cost at $45 seems low
9) Price? Personally I would probably not pay $45 for the
program, but I do consider myself quite cheap. As You mentioned
many people seem to think that good software must be expensive. I
do not agree, I suggest write a good package and depend on word
of mouth and a lower price combined with a larger volume of
sales.
NAME
2) How about VRS 320 - where the 3 or 4 etc. is the version #.
VRS Plus - plus what? - encourages inquiries
7) A new name could be something alone the line of "Vechile Watch"
or similar
8) name is still ok
MISCELLANEOUS
X) Display record # for Tires, Insurance, Loan, ID so you know where you are
A) ADDED - 1, 2, 3, ETC WILL SHOW ON THESE SCREENS
2) Possible improvements:
1. date formats - the date format that I prefer is Jan-01-1990. This date
format all but eliminates the chance for error or misunderstanding.
Also acceptable is 01-Jan-1990. A) DATE FORMATS ARE PRETTY MUCH
CONTROLLED BY THE LANGUAGE USED TO WRITE THE SYSTEM - SELECT THE
DATE FORMAT USED BY YOUR COUNTRY AND YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM
2. Reports - you have done quite a bit in the way of improving the
appearance of the screens, it would seem foolish therefore to not
improve the appearance of the reports. (bad example enclosed)
1. highlight the top most heading (bold font)
2. highlight the sub-headings (bold font)
3. move left margin in a few spaces (tough one) to allow for hole
punching for placement in 3-ring binder
4. put a small graphic (truck, car) in top corners(s)
5. put a border (single line) around everything and print out report
in compressed (12 pitch) mode in order to get the extra width
across the page.
A) THE VRS IS DESIGNED TO WORK WITH ANY PRINTER AND IN AN 80 COLUMN
FORMAT - DOING MANY OF THE ABOVE WOULD REQUIRE ADDING PRINTER DRIVERS
FOR SPECIFIC PRINTER - SOMETHING I DO NOT FEEL IS NECESSARY AT THIS
TIME - MAYBE IN A LATER RELEASE? - REPORTS CAN BE PRINTED TO A FILE
WHICH CAN THEN BE EDITED WITH A WORD PROCESSOR FOR DIFFERENT FORMATTING
3) One screen to show all vehicles, at least gas log, maintenance log, and
preventative maintenance. This would speed-up data input. A) WILL BE PUT
INTO THE FLEET VERSION - BATCH ENTRY OF DATA
More automated back-up, maybe a menu or field labeled BACK-UP, etc.
A) HAVE INCLUDED BACKUP INSTRUCTIONS IN THE DOCUMENTATION - SINCE PEOPLE
CAN BACK UP THEIR SYSTEMS IN DIFFERENT WAYS (TAPE, DISK, ETC) IT DID NOT
SEEM TO MAKE SENSE TO ADD MORE PROGRAM CODE (AND SIZE) FOR SOMETHING THAT
WILL NOT BE USED BY EVERYONE AND CAN BE DONE ELSEWHERE
4) Highlight or underline the FIRST letter in Menu. A) NOT FEASIBLY POSSIBLE
Add more catagories in the PAID section.
a. Such as to add more oil or credit cards.
A) FLEET VERSION WILL BE ALLOW FOR MORE - NO LIMIT - VRS PLUS ALLOWS
FOR 15 CODES (THE VRS 20 ALLOWS FOR 6)
On the reports -- the company name should be centered. A) CHANGED
No ability to change in the add/change Vehicle screen. Even delete
will not work. No Change on report. Would rather have change. A) IMPROVED
DOCUMENTATION - YOU CANNOT DELETE THE SELECTED VEHICLE
How is the payment set??? A B C etc. A) READ HELP
5) I had to use the full stop to separate dollars & cents whereas in
the previous version it automatically moved into the correct space,
I would prefer this method. (fuel) A) ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS I
RECEIVED ON THE OLD VERSION WAS THE USE OF 'TEMPLATES' TO ENTER NUMERIC
AMOUNTS - ENTERING A . IS THE WAY MOST SOFTWARE PACKAGES WORK. YOU NO
LONGER NEED TO ENTER LEADING ZEROS.
Again the $ entry. Also it would be useful to have a macro that
entered in one column what was in the column directly above this
entry e.g. Date - 01/07/1990, should I move to the next line and
place the cursor under the /07/ a macro to insert 07, then move
the cursor to under the /1990. pressing a macro to insert 1990.
A) SOME LOGS (TIRES, INSURANCE) WILL COPY THE DISPLAYED RECORD TO A NEWLY
ADDED RECORD (THEN YOU JUST CHANGE THE ITEMS THAT ARE DIFFERENT) BUT
IN THE FUEL AND OTHER LOGS YOU NEED TO ENTER THE DATE - WILL CONSIDER
PUTTING A MACRO IN THE FLEET SYSTEM (WHICH SHOULD BE MUCH MORE HEAVILY
USED)
7) I have found two problems with this programme, the first problem
was with both commputer systems that being when the blank report
forms are printed there seems to be an error as shown below:-
=============================
| DATE | ODOMETER |
=============================
| | |
| | |
|
|
------------------------------ ETC.
It seems that the verticial lines do not extend the whole column
A) THE NEW FORMS ALLOW FOR THE ADDITION OF OPTIONAL COMMENTS FOR EACH
FUEL ENTRY AND THEREFORE REQUIRE MORE SPACE FOR EACH FUEL ENTRY
=============================
| DATE | ODOMETER |
=============================
| 5/25/90 | 12345.6 |
| | |
| ** WRITE IN COMMENTS HERE **
------------------------------
8) 1. escaping from reports should be possible as insurance can be a
long report A) ADDED ESC OPTION
9) Various Things:
The "CPM" screen would be easier to use with some on-
screen info to explain how to use it. A) READ HELP
When creating reports, it would be nice to have the
dates appear with the earliest and latest dates as the
default values, and the miles in a similar fashion. A) ALL REPORTS
EXCEPT FOR THE MAINT REMINDER DO USE DEFAULT DATES - SOME REPORTS
CAN BE RUN WITH AN ALL RECORDS OPTION (TIRES, INSURANCE, ETC) THAT
WILL PRINT INDIVIDUAL RECORDS (1 TIRE AT A TIME) AND THEN GIVE A
TOTAL FOR ALL RECORDS AT THE END - THE DATES ON THIS TOTAL PAGE MAY
BE CHANGED (BY THE PROGRAM) TO REFLECT EARLIER OR LATER DATES THAN
SHOWN ON THE RECORD YOU WERE DISPLAYING (CONFUSING?? - READ THIS A
COUPLE OF TIMES AND THEN TRY IT ON THE EXAMPLE VEHICLE INSURANCE
REPORT)
I liked the report screens - well organized and useful.
Liked the "VIEW" option in the "Add/Change" screen, it
made it easy to see at a glance what vehicles were
available.
Liked the availability of the forms to print for use in
the vehicle - almost a necessity.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - END - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
the vehicle - alm
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0733
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
README 1024 9-27-90 10:47a
README2 640 9-27-90 10:48a
README3 1024 9-27-90 10:49a
README4 1152 9-27-90 10:49a
README5 1152 9-27-90 10:50a
CA BAT 128 9-27-90 10:52a
COMMENTS BAT 128 9-27-90 10:52a
GO BAT 256 9-27-90 10:46a
KJON BAT 896 9-04-90 10:40a
COMMENTS DOC 17152 7-13-90 5:12p
TESTSITE DOC 24320 9-06-90 9:58a
VRSPLUS DOC 22784 9-06-90 10:47a
KJONVRS EXE 263085 9-07-90 2:29p
FILE733 TXT 2147 10-18-90 6:16p
14 file(s) 335888 bytes
19456 bytes free