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Re: software/ethnograph
ah68 (Andrew_L_HABERMACHER@UMAIL.UMD.EDU)
Wed, 31 Jan 1996 14:22:00 EST
There has been some discussion of computer software applications in various
issues of CAM (Cultural Antho. Methods) which is (or was I haven't seen
it for a year or so)p ut out by Russ Bernaard (ufrus@nervm.bitnet), Perti
Pelto (pjpelto@uconnvm) and others. In CAM vol 6, issue 1 (feb 94) thereee is
discussion /comparison of two possibly useful programs --ZY-INDEX and GOfer.
Both programs are said to accept text form various sources, search multiple
files in one pass, do boolean searches, do proximity searches, use
wildcards, allow later modification of files, extract pieces of varied size
to printer/files, extract to your current file in a word processor.
Additionally, ZY-INDEX can also index relevant files, create a word list,
provide a user-definable thesaurus, provide data-base type fields, and
create batches of new files. ZY-INDEX is $250 (Zylab Div, Inf.ormation
Dimensions,, Inc., 100 Lexington, Drive, Buffalo Grove, IL, 60089/ Tel
798459-8000) and GOfer is $40 (Microlytics, Inc. Two Tobey Village Office
Prk., Pittsford, NY, 14534/Tel 716-248-9150).
For the price and ease of use Pelto liked GOfer, saying many of the ZY-INFO
additional features were very nice but not essential.
Also see
Stephen L. Schensulo "Using ETHNOGRAPH to build a survey
instrument" in C.A.M. vol 5, Issue 2, June 1993.
Robt. T. Trotter II "Review of TALLEY 3.0" C.A.M. (same issue)
Trotter indicates Talley 3.0 is "an ethnographic database manaager and a
content analysis tool. Its main purpose is to allow ethnographers to code,
searach , copy ;and paste, and analyze text." About $40 from W.C.Brown
Pubs, 2460 Kerper Blvd, Dubuque, IA (800-338-5578) . Trotter said he likes
Talley 3.0 but a that it has some weaknesses which he describes but calls
irritant, not fatal flaws.
Cheers!
Drew Habermacher
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