Burt,

I too use guidebooks extensively, but I think the appeal of a digital
solution to manage birding information, at least for me, is how compact
this information can be in digital form as compared to in print. In doing
research for a book we are working on, Natalie and I have been driving
all over the state while carrying a small crate of critical books, and
while I love the printed word and the feel of a book in my hands, it
would be great to be able to search through and access all of this great
info through my laptop that I carry with me on most birding trips.

In short, we want the Holy Grail - all of the information wrapped up in a
compact, easy to access and easy to understand manner. And the big
advantage of having this information on the computer is that it can be
manipulated and updated on an individual basis. It can also be searched
much easier than thumbing through a host of books.

All this being said, I don't see anyone being able to create a birding
software solution that will fit everyone's needs. The software is just
another tool to help learn more, record more data, and get more out of
birding.

Rob McNair-Huff ---------- mailto:rob at whiterabbits.com
White Rabbit Publishing -- http://www.whiterabbits.com/
Mac Net Journal ---------- http://www.macnetjournal.com/
The Equinox Project ------ http://www.whiterabbits.com/weblog.html

>I keep being amused and puzzled when I read a lot of requests on Tweeters or
>Birdchat for information about whether some birding software does this or
>that or the other thing. I grew up looonnnng before the computer era. I
>have books. The books have information about such things as distribution
>and migration patterns, if that's what interests me, and of course they have
>fine paintings of books for identification purposes. Yes, they go out of
>date as patterns change, but so does software. I wonder whether anyone who
>uses the software can explain why it's so much better than having
>books--aside from our society's digital compulsion and its being the In
>Thing, while books are now an Out Thing. I use my computer extensively for
>writing--word-processing programs have improved and simplified my writing
>far more than I could ever have imagined--and I have used the computer for
>simple birding tasks, such as making lists and field notes, and recording my
>sightings of birds in this way. But what does complicated software about
>birds do that would make me want to buy it and spend my time fiddling with
>it?
>
>Burt Guttman guttmanb at evergreen.edu
>The Evergreen State College
>Olympia, WA 98505 360-456-8447
>Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S.E., Olympia 98503