askSam Professional 7 Reviewed January 2009 What’s It Do? askSam is a free-form searchable database with full text indexing for fast searches, providing organization of information from Web pages, email, PDF files, texts, and Word documents . Does it do what it promises? Reviewer 1: Yes and no. As advertised, askSam is a marvelous tool for creating all kinds of databases, even for people with no prior database experience. It also did an excellent job of importing email from my Gmail account, which I download with Thunderbird, and creating an email archive that I can search easily and very rapidly and from which I can create reports. Unfortunately, askSam can work with only a rather limited number of email clients, and I could not get it to import mail from my primary email account, which I access with a client askSam doesn't support. askSam also did a poor job of importing pdf files, and it had some intermittent but serious problems saving Web pages. Reviewer 2: Yes. Reviewer 3: Yes, askSam is a very capable free-form database program. Suitable for both personal and business use, custom searchable askSam databases can be produced for almost any need. Reviewer 4: Yes. askSam is a program of great flexibility to store information any way desired in a free-form database with no coherent structure, sadly like the top of my desk; or, set up a structure like the toolbox and parts sections of the craftsman who maintains and repairs my car. Once data is entered, a very rapid search engine to any part of it almost immediately. And with the askSam wizards, data can not only be stored and retrieved, it can be formatted for printed reports. Reviewer 5: askSam Pro 7 is a “database on steroids”. It allows much more flexibility than traditional databases. Unlike most databases, it does not limit entries to preset sizes and it allows a huge amount of storage in each database file. It is a complex program with a high learning curve. In my experience, it was more difficult to use than the description on their Web site indicated. Before purchasing I would recommend the 30 day trial. Reviewer 6: Yes, unequivocally. In fact, it is much more than simply “A Different Kind of Database” as the askSam Web site so understates. This program can revolutionize the way one works in spending a lot of time searching the computer or the Internet for information. askSam can capture information acquired via email and other documents including attachments, Web pages, spreadsheets, newspaper or magazine clippings, research documents, telephone logs, to-do-lists, software, etc. and then quickly create databases, folder, and sub folders to make everything dynamically organized and instantly searchable. There are also templates for everything from home inventories to wine lists, and downloadable e-books from Shakespeare to transcripts of the US Presidential debates. Additionally, there is a fully functioning word processor built in with an extensive and quite fast spell checker. The only possible exception to its “promise” is that it is not an easy program to use. In fact, one must be willing to invest two or three hours at a minimum just to begin to use the program, and considerably more time to master it. Was it easy to install? Reviewer 1: Yes. It's a hefty 45.5 MB download, but one can also order it on a trial CD. Before downloading, I was asked to fill out a form that requested my name, company, phone number, email address, and how I planned to use askSam, as well as whether I wanted to receive a monthly newsletter. Although I'm sure this request for information was well intentioned, I found it a bit intrusive. After downloading the file, I simply ran askSamSetup.exe and followed the directions. There were no unpleasant surprises, although I would have preferred being asked before having an askSam icon placed on my desktop. The End User License Agreement said relatively little and gave no indication of whether askSam can be used on more than one computer. Reviewer 2: Yes, the 45.5 MB file installed without any problems or conflicts. Reviewer 3: Yes, it installed quickly into a 56 MB directory including a template folder and a tutorial folder. Reviewer 4: Yes. It took about one minute on a fast cable connection to download the 45 mb file, and the installation was a standard Windows installation procedure. I was able to place the program in the location of my choice, and icons were put in the Start Menu and on the desktop.. The Readme file is actually an askSam file, and includes a lot of very useful information, including Tutorials, the User's Guide, a Quick Tour, eBooks, Templates, helpful links and more. Uninstallation is very clean and removes all traces of the program except any askSam database files which must be removed manually if desired. Reviewer 5: Installation was straightforward; however, my initial download and subsequent upgrade may have been corrupted since askSam would crash upon every attempt at importing. After trying every approach I could find, I finally uninstalled it and downloaded/installed the newest version. That helped but did not eliminate my importing difficulties. There is a 30-day full-featured trial period available before registration must be activated. The terms of the license agreement are simple but do not specify how many computers it could be installed on. Reviewer 6: Yes. While it is a sizeable 45.6MB download and thus somewhat prohibitive if one is still using dial-up or a less than high speed DSL or cable Internet connection, the installation and registration of the program is easy and intuitive. It allows placing the program files where desired. Once the installation is finished you are given options to start askSam and to start the Readme which opens right in the askSam, program. I would strongly recommend carefully going through the “Getting Started” before beginning. The program seemed to incorporate seamlessly with Windows for the most part, and uninstalled cleanly. Good points Reviewer 1: For me, the most outstanding aspect of askSam is the ease with which I can create and use databases. My prior experience with databases was limited to a few I created on my Palm PDA and occasional use of Microsoft Access on my PC. I became frustrated with the arcane terminology and the difficulties I encountered in setting up and modifying the databases. By contrast, with askSam I've been able to set up and modify a variety of databases quickly and relatively easily. The program provides several dozen predefined but easily modifiable templates that make database creation quite simple. Among the templates are ones to manage addresses and contacts; organize a bibliography; record and organize appointments and activities in a calendar; archive and search email; manage notes, research, ideas, and other random information; record and archive meeting minutes; and create a database from questionnaires. Although I used several of these templates, I created my first database without a template. I simply decided what fields I wanted, their order, and whether I wanted them to be single- or multiple-line fields. I didn't have to set a more specific length for these fields, and I was able to modify my decisions as needed. I was also able to generate a report from the data in this first database and to export the database, more or less successfully, to Access. (I far prefer using askSam to make use of my databases, but I did want to see how well I could export the data to another program. I found the database considerably less easy to read and to use in Access, but the information did transfer. I would feel a lot less comfortable if I thought that the databases I created in askSam would be lost to me if for some reason the program ceased to work.) Flexibility is one of the key features of askSam's database creation. Within one database, it is possible to combine structured information and free-form items. askSam does not require that all the documents in a database have the same fields, nor even that they have fields at all. Thus, one can create a fully searchable database that contains many different kinds and sources of information. I am also very impressed with askSam's search capabilities. Full-text searches are easy to perform and very fast. From the search line, I was able to search for a single word, multiple words, or a phrase, and from the Actions menu I could also do additional searches: Boolean, Field (i.e., restrict the search to a specific field), Numeric (based on a numeric comparison), Proximity, Date range, Fuzzy, and Wildcard. It is also possible to combine several kinds of searches into a single request. With askSam Professional (the more expensive version tested by the NNT Panel), it is possible to index a database file to speed up searches through very large files. askSam claims that with indexing, it is possible to search through a several hundred GB askSam file in a matter of seconds. Since I didn't have any huge databases, I was unable to test the advantages of indexing. I did index two database files, but they were each less than 20 MB, and I noticed no appreciable difference in search speed after the databases were indexed. (Indeed, askSam's User's Guide notes that there's little reason to index small databases.) Several aspects of askSam's tech support are also commendable. The program provides some detailed and helpful written documents, especially the Getting Started Guide and the User's Manual. Also, very soon after I downloaded a copy of askSam, I received the first of several email messages from someone in the company's sales office offering suggestions and help for getting started with the program. askSam also has a Web forum where one can ask questions and a tech support employee apparently reads the forums every day and responds to a number of questions. Other users also at times respond to questions and one experienced user in particular was repeatedly helpful, both to me and to others on the forum. Without that help, I might have been considerably less enthusiastic about the program. Reviewer 2: askSam Pro 7 is a unique program and not like other programs I have had experience with. This means that there was a lot to learn in order to use askSam to its full potential. askSam provides excellent help and tutorial files and even an easy quick start help to enable using the program without long study sessions. As my first test of askSam I purposely tried to use one of the tutorials without studying other help files in order to determine if the tutorials were beneficial or not. Within a very short time I was able import most of my emails into an askSam file and was impressed at what little time it required to perform this function considering the large numbers of emails I imported. This is not to say that the process was flawless as it produced memory access errors that caused askSam to crash. I am not sure of the reason for the crash since a check of the import process did show that many of the emails were imported; however, this error repeated on several other attempts to import emails not yet imported. Examination of imported files demonstrated that askSam stores the same data as well as its own additions. I imported a group of Word documents totaling 13.1 MB which produced an askSam file of 1.5MB. The import was accurate and even hyperlinks (URL shortcuts in this case) in the imported documents were still intact and functional. Of the estimated 70 % of the emails that were successfully imported from a 193 MB folder containing the emails, askSam produced a 2.85 MB file demonstrating an impressive compression ratio of already compressed files. I found similar results with other types of data that I imported into askSam with one exception. AskSam created a 262 KB file from a 6 KB CVS file. I suspect the extra space was needed for the fields that askSam created. The main reason for creating the database in askSam is the performance of searches and generation of reports from that created database. I performed numerous searches utilizing the various parameters allowed in askSam. The searches were very fast and accurate. I was especially impressed by the location of a document by a key phrase. This function is very useful when searching for data without knowing the title or other aspects about the document that the data is contained in. There is no need to elaborate on the individual search functions of askSam, but, simply put, it provides the fastest, most accurate, and flexible searching of a database that I have experienced. I suspect that this is the trade-off for having to create the databases within askSam. I tried numerous reports created by askSam. I was impressed with the template report formats as well as the ability to modify the report format as I desired. It is in this reports function that I discovered that in order to utilize this function properly the use of fields in inputting the data into the database was necessary. Those askSam files that I had created utilizing fields for input created the most useful reports. AskSam provides shortcuts for repetitive tasks that make these functions easier. Unlike many programs (and much like Word) askSam allows the user to create his her own shortcuts to make using the program even easier. Reviewer 3: askSam 7 freeform database gives the user the ability to custom design a searchable database of almost any data they can think of. It is a great way to organize any collection of information that one may wish to keep track of and be able to search. It is capable of organizing Web pages, e-mail, PDF files, text files and Word documents. Some of the many uses for askSam would be research, producing free-form and text databases, e-mail archiving, Web databases, electronic publishing, or any other custom database solutions. The support system provided by askSam is very good (although somewhat out of date, see below). My questions on the support forums were thoroughly answered the very next day by several people and an e-mail notification was sent to me telling me that answer had been posted. Other options include a FAQ section, the askSam Resource Center for product documentation, tours, tips, product updates, and askSam templates as well as a way to extend the trial period. There is also an e-mail discussion list for expert technical advice along with various options for training including fee-based Web training, a multi-day, seminar style training at their home base in Florida, and even on-site. But for those who choose to "go it alone", askSam provides an extensive "getting started" section under the help menu, in the form of a fully searchable askSam database. It includes a dozen or more tutorials on how to use different functions within askSam, all of them hyperlinked from the first page of the Getting Started guide. The tutorials were clear and easy to follow in producing a trial database, certainly necessary in view of the high learning curve. The database searching capabilities of askSam are extensive and includes full-text search for any word or phrase; wildcard search using * or ?; Boolean searches (AND, OR and NOT); proximity searches; numeric searches (>, <, >=, <=, < >); date searches; "fuzzy" searches; searching through multiple askSam databases; case insensitive searches; search within search results; and, one-click save of search results to Excel askSam is also capable of handling multiple file formats such as Adobe PDF files; text files; RTF files; HTML files; both Word and WordPerfect files; email messages (Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, PocoMail, Netscape etc.); other databases (Microsoft Access, dBase, Paradox, ODBC); spreadsheet data (Microsoft Excel); comma-delimited, tab-delimited, and “fixed position” data; and, scanned-in information using OCR. askSam also offers many other software solutions based on its database engine technology: askSam free-form database, a Resume Tracker, SurfSaver - a searchable file cabinet for Web pages, a program called Web Publisher - a way to combine text files, e-mail messages, databases and word processing documents and turn them into a searchable database on the Internet. There is also an Electronic Publisher version, suitable or producing manuals, catalogs, databases, price lists and marketing materials, a program called Citation for creating bibliographies and organized searchable notes, and askSam SDK database engine for use by developers, Qsite, a web-based content manager solution, Resume Tracker for organizing resumes, applications and other human resources and recruiting information and finally, askSam Viewer, a free viewer for askSam databases that allows people that don't have the application installed to view and search all askSam output. In experimenting with several of askSam's functions,. I created a new "Plumbing Parts Inventory" database and populated it using the entry form and mocked-up material descriptions, part numbers, suppliers and inventory levels desired. I was impressed with the capabilities of the templates and import features. The import email functions enabled me to import old emails from an existing copy of Thunderbird with two dozen separate folders and a total of over 400 e-mails contained therein. It worked exactly as the tutorial indicated it would. Attachments are added as a subdirectory of each e-mail, making them fully searchable as well, even though the attachments are imported as "text only" files and without active links. The search functions worked well and were easy to fine tune to extract the exact data I was looking for. Reviewer 4: A free-form database consisting of a series of notes, each a document in itself, requires a quick search and askSam provides that capability along with many options to define and structure the search within a single database or multiple databases, no matter how complex. The search seems almost instantaneous and results are listed at the bottom of the screen. Double-clicking on any of the items in the list will retrieve that item from the database. Structure can be defined, as in fields that we are most accustomed to with databases; or, a form on a blank page can be constructed following some very simple rules, an “Entry Form” can be built from a wizard, or templates can be used. My question to the online forum regarding problems I had with a template was answered within hours and a new, more usable template was provided. One of the features that I like best about an askSam Entry Form is that fields can be changed any time necessary and are not fixed as with traditional databases. This enabled me to change a field length which could be applied to all databases. One of the templates which demonstrate the value of being able to have multiple entry forms in the one data-base is called “Important Stuff.” There are 14 predefined Entry Forms in this template such as Credit Card Info, Insurance Info, Social Security Info, Passport Info, Vehicle Info, etc. This is unlike other databases that I have seen that attempt to fit everything into one standard data- entry screen. And, any of these forms can be adapted right on the page, as if they were a word-processing document. In addition to entering data manually, askSam allows data import to other programs, such as images, photos, documents in many formats (.doc. xls, pdf. etc.). Or, files in any format can be attached to a particular record (document), so that they are not actually imported, but are accessible from within askSam. Creating Report formats is done as easily as all the other modules of askSam. Wizards lead through the process, offering many features to format and structure the report, or the word processor-like abilities can be used to create the report right on the screen. In addition to all the other editing and formatting functions normally available to a complete word processing program, report items can be dragged around the screen with one’s mouse. Each report format can be separately saved, so that it is instantly available the next time needed. I did not really need to contact the support staff directly. The information on the Web site and in the different tutorials, demos, start-up guides, FAQ's and manuals are excellently presented, and provide the user with step-by-step directions on the scores of features and functions of the program. Support provided through the on-line forum provides quick, courteous, and competent responses. When I had suggestions, the reply came from the developers; others replies were from interested users. And even though my question had been answered, a few days later I received an email to verify that the information that had been sent to me was adequate, or if I had need of any further follow-up. Like so much else to do with askSam, the support provided to the users is of the highest quality and standard. If an update is available, one is given the option to download and install it immediately or later. All information, settings, etc. are preserved in the process, one of the best-designed that I have ever seen, with very little input required from the user. Reviewer 5: After askSam is downloaded and one’s email address is provided, a series of email messages from askSam offers help. This is a very friendly start to using this program. There are a number of public domain document archives (eBooks) available for download on the askSam website. These are a good way to get started with AskSam. The first page of a newly created askSam document contains orientation information about how to use it and links for commands such as importing and report generation. Once I had imported my collection of word processing documents, I had all of my related data in a single archive. Searching through my data was very easy and it was more useful to have all of this data in one place than in multiple individual files. The results were well organized and each document was accessible by clicking on a tab in the left hand column. The full text was displayed in the wider right hand column. This layout has the familiar feel of a book and I could open each document and access it like an individual chapter. askSam also contains full featured word processing capability and provides capability to export askSam files into text files, Rich Text Format files, or HTML files. Where askSam really shines is in capturing a collection of Web sites by right-clicking on the Web site and choosing “Save Webpage to AskSam7”. This only works with Internet Explorer (or Firefox with the IE tab add-on) but does so whether AskSam is fully running or not. I was researching a particular topic and it made a very convenient collection of related information from various Web sources. Reviewer 6: This is a complicated and complex program designed for the professional (a researcher, attorney, medical professional etc.) who needs a highly configurable and searchable freeform data base or for the non-professional who does a tremendous amount of document or information creation and handling. To simply store address books, emails, notes, or favorites, this is much more than needed and is a bit pricey for such purposes. For the information junkie suffering from disorganized information overload, askSam has no equal. The home or start page has gone a long way to attempt to address ease of use. From the start page one can create a new database, select from favorites or recently opened files, open and search multiple files from this one screen, and obtain help. In creating a new database, a wizard walks the user through the steps. A tabbed sidebar enables accessing functions faster. Help files provide more than a dozen step-by-step tutorials to get started with all the functions and features. The search function enables searching within searches, sorting columns, and selecting multiple documents for review. Right-clicking on any word searches for it on the Web. It supports Boolean, wild card, proximity, date, numeric, fuzzy, and other advanced search techniques. Documents can be stored and searched in Word, PDF, PST, HTML, and many other file types. A new feature called Dynamic Folder View allows one to place information in folders and sub folders based on field content so that everything is organized dynamically as it is entered. Word Documents, PDF files and other documents can be saved directly into folders and Web pages can be saved directly from Internet Explorer. There is drag-and-drop feature for importing documents; Web page capture; the ability to jump to a specific document; excellent image support which includes GIF files; tracking of last time and date.; and askSam now connects to major search engines such as Google which can be accessed from within the program. Getting started with the program is not a jump-in-and-hunt-around type of process, and doing so will be very frustrating; however, there is a wealth of help from excellent help files; tutorials; an active support forum of over 3, 000 users and over 7,000 posts; an email discussion list; a superb resource center containing tips, tours, etc.; telephone support; and r one-on-one tutorials or even classroom training on site at their Perry, Florida location. The program is relatively low in its use of resources and its overall footprint is small for the size and complexity of the program. askSam is really a powerful tool to collect, search and organize data of all kinds. As a research organizer it is unbeatable because of its ability to simultaneously handle a wide range of freeform and field-organized data; extensive information formats; all while providing focus on finding, organizing and managing Internet-based research. Weak points Reviewer 1: On the whole I was very pleased with askSam's database creation but some important features were disappointing. askSam's ability to save Web pages seemed highly erratic: sometimes a page would be saved successfully, while at other times my attempt to save a page would result in askSam crashing, or my browser crashing, or the saved page being just a solid black mass, or no page being saved. And while most of the time, I could save and view saved pages reasonably quickly, on occasion it took more than a minute to save a page and a similarly long amount of time simply to open the saved page in askSam. I wrote to the forum about these problems, but tech support was unable to provide an explanation or a solution. The program seems unable to work with the Opera browser and the native Firefox browser in saving Web pages. It can be used with Firefox only with a Firefox add-on, IE Tab, that enables a Firefox user to change the browser's rendering engine to Internet Explorer's. (I should note, however, that some of the problems I encountered when saving Web pages occurred even when I used Internet Explorer.) I was disappointed, too, in askSam's handling of pdf files. When I imported pdf files into askSam, all formatting was lost, as were all graphics. At times, too, askSam would insert huge numbers of blank pages into the pdf. One file that had 39 pages when viewed in Adobe Acrobat increased to 113 pages in askSam, and most of those pages were blank. Significantly, the askSam User's Guide suggests using an attachment or an external link to pdf files imported into askSam, since askSam will strip away the formatting and graphics from the imported document. Another disappointment was askSam's inability to import email from a larger number of email clients. I use Mulberry with my two primary email accounts. Even though Mulberry uses a true mbx standard, askSam was unable to import mail from these email accounts into a database. askSam is also apparently unable to handle Unicode. I imported documents that included some Spanish text and had been saved with the frequently-used Unicode character encoding UTF-8. The text appeared garbled in askSam. When I changed the character encoding to ANSI/ASCII, resaved the document, and imported it again into askSam, all was well. Considering how prevalent Unicode has become, I'm surprised that askSam cannot deal with it successfully. I also encountered a different sort of problem with askSam: it changes a file's "last modified" date whenever a file is opened, even if no changes are made. I frequently back up my files, and askSam's peculiar dating practice makes it difficult for me to tell when a file was last changed or which of two versions is more recent. Although on the whole I found askSam's written documentation helpful, at times the information was unclear or unavailable. For example, when I consulted the User's Guide to figure out how to add a field to already existing documents in a database, the instructions I needed were scattered in three different places, and neither the Guide's search mechanism nor the subject headings helped me find what I needed. All the issues I've raised here have been reported to askSam's tech support; in some cases, users report issues repeatedly. The person who responds to tech support issues on the forum is competent, well-intentioned, and helpful, but too often all he can say is "I'll send this on to the developers," and then the problems seem to drop into a black hole. Reviewer 2: askSam is a program that does require a lot of learning in order to use it to its full potential. Not many users are willing to dedicate that must effort to utilize the program. To add to the vast learning curve is a whole list of terms that must be understood in order to understand the instructions. I have mastered many rather large and complex programs (many on a professional level) and consider askSam a moderate-to-difficult program to master. The bottom line is that it will take considerable time to learn how to use this program completely. askSam crashed many times. Some crashes were related to trying to import emails that just would not import and thus every attempt to import new emails resulted in a crash. Importing addresses seemed to be OK but the search tries on this file resulted in askSam looping in an endless search with no way to stop the search. During this address search my PC was reporting 50 % usage. Some files were totally inaccessible after such a search. Reading the help file in detail, I was able to determine that I had wrongly imported the address file. Redo of this address file had searches performing correctly. This could be a common error by users and askSam should not lock itself in an endless loop and there should be a way to stop or cancel a function. Reviewer 3: I found importing Web pages a little problematical. Due to the fact that there appears to be an installation issue on my machine, askSam did not create the right-click menu option in Internet Explorer to do this directly. From a backup copy of a Web site on my hard drive, I selected HTML as the file format to import and navigated to the location using askSam's import Wizard. Since it wasn't a "one fell swoop" import of the entire site, most of the internal page navigation links did not work. A Web site is very interactive with many internal links pointing to folders that contain graphics and other data. Since I hadn't imported any of these folders, none of the internal page links actually worked, only the actual text got imported. They were "active" but since there was nothing for them to point to, they just threw an error. However, the links that actually pointed to an external site did work correctly. The actual copy, in text form, was quite accurate to include the font and size. Using a WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get” ) Web site builder can hide a lot of problems; thus, professional Web designers often "hand code" all pages in Notepad. Much of askSam's documentation references Version 6. This did not always translate well to version 7. They are a little behind in this area. The Web site tutorials section often indicates “under construction, sorry for the inconvenience but we are updating the tutorials to include the version 7.” The "Resource Center" page links to versions 3 to 6 but nothing of the latest version 7. Well-written and current documentation is essential in a complex program like this. AskSam only supports Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser. There was no right-click context menu item called “save webpage to askSam” as offered in the documentation. Reviewer 4: There is little to not like and appreciate about askSam. There are a few wishes that I could put in here, in particular support for my email client of choice (Pegasus). However, Pegasus is mentioned in one of the FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) on the site (This is on our "wish list" of features to be considered for a future version of askSam.") Sadly, that item was posted in 2005, so still must be somewhere in the "Wish List." There is a also a section of the Web site, the animated Quick Tours, that has been "temporarily unavailable", since the introduction of Version 7 of askSam. Reviewer 5: Initially, I was unable to import any data from my hard drive without askSam crashing. As discussed above, this was improved but not completely corrected by uninstalling the updated version and then downloading and reinstalling the latest version. I used the wizard and template to create a “Document Archive” of about 75 of my previous Neat Net Tricks program reviews, importing them as Microsoft Word documents. This caused each of the files to be opened in Word as they were imported to askSam. This resulted in my having to close not only the 75 instances of Word, but also in having to close twice as many dialog boxes asking me to accept MS Office’s EULA and whether I wanted to save the new normal.dot file. In the end, the Word documents were successfully integrated into the new askSam archive, but I was glad that I had not selected a larger collection of documents as I had originally planned. Additional templates are available for download on the askSam Web site. In January 2009 there were calendar templates for 2007 and 2008 but not for 2009. I attempted to run the calendar 2008 template but received an “access is denied” error message. One of my high priority goals for this program was to import and sort many years of email messages into a new and searchable form. I used the wizard to select my email program (Eudora) and the file location, but when I attempted to import, askSam crashed immediately. I progressively pared down the options to remove attachments and to limit the import to one folder and askSam imported about 1000 messages before it again crashed. I searched through the online AskSam forum and found that other users had similar problems with Outlook files but that the AskSam team was unable to duplicate this problem in their labs and thus did not have a fix. My e-mail request for help sent on Friday evening was answered the following Monday and advised “We are currently working on a maintenance version that will fix the import problems some people are having. Hopefully it will be released soon. I do not have a firm date for its release yet. ” Reviewer 6: This program has been around for over 10years and as such there are really few if any flaws. In fact, the only glitch I found over months of extensive use was that Microsoft Internet Explorer would occasionally crash when surfing unless I closed the askSam database first, perhaps due to my personal settings and configuration. While there are no serious flaws, there are still a few weaknesses that I was surprised to find in a program that has been around for so long and under so much continual development. First and foremost is its Microsoft-centric support of only Internet Explorer. Today, for a program that relies in part or in whole on search and research to be taken serious must also support as a minimum Firefox and possibly Opera as well. Secondly, for a program that is quite expensive to not include Web publishing a serious oversight; and to offer askSam Web Publisher as a separate and expensive product is to me more than just a bit penurious and parsimonious when online publishing is fully integrated in even such products as Word (not to mention askSam competitors). Developer’s Web Site Reviewer 1: The askSam Web site offers some useful information about the program, including a number of helpful statements from users in different fields explaining why and how they use askSam. Also on the site are links to a number of free eBooks and documents that can be incorporated into askSam, where they are then fully searchable. Unfortunately, much of the documentation on the Web site about the askSam program is not up-to-date. The Frequently Asked Questions section includes nothing about the current version. Similarly, the User's Guide and Release Notes on the Web site are for an earlier version, and the Quick Tour has not been updated to cover features added in version 7. The recommended Animated Demos were unavailable when I downloaded the program months ago, and more than five months later they are still "temporarily unavailable." Reviewer 2: The askSam Web site is very easy to access and links are provided in the program’s help section. The Web site is easy to navigate and there are numerous support functions including a phone number (which is rare in today’s support options). Reviewer 3: The askSam web site is very usable and I no problems in navigation. Free, fully searchable ebooks are offered from the site, along with the free askSam Viewer. Reviewer 4: The Web site, like everything else associated with this program, is very high quality. Most of the site is dedicated to providing resources, help, information and support so that one use the program successfully. For those new to askSam, I would recommend a look at the two demos -- General Quick Tour, and Quick Tour for Researchers . Not only do these give an idea of the flexibility of the program, they also give ways to use the program's many features. Reviewer 5: The askSam Web site has a reasonably clear layout. Its best features are its FAQ and forums. There are some detailed tours of askSam that can help one get oriented to this program. Reviewer 6: It is interesting how a Developer's Web site often reflects the professionalism of the product being sold as well as the developer's concern for his or her customers. The askSam Web site is no exception. It is as complete and thorough as is the software program it is advertising. It is obvious that the developer, Seaside Software, wants to try to present as much information as possible about the program to allow a potential buyer to make an informed decision. While it is full of information, it is easily navigated; and, finding product demonstrations, additional program resources, customer support, forums, and so on is apparent and literally only a mouse click away. There are also multiple screenshots that reference various topics, and these visuals are always a big help to a potential customer. Because it is so thorough and deals with a highly complex program, I think the Web site visitor would be better served if the multiple snippets of customer and magazine reviews were placed elsewhere or grouped together in one location rather than sprinkled through the page as they only add to an already very "busy" Web page. Furthermore, excerpts of reviews always make me a bit suspicious that I am only reading a sentence or two out of context and that possibly the entire review was less favorable. A link to the full review would be a better choice. I was pleased to see that the developer actually includes their name and address on the web site (so few do) as I think this is always one more indication of pride in their product. I do wish that developer's would start including on their sites: change logs so that a user can see the development history of the program; a copy of the EULA (End User License Agreement) so that a potential customer can read and possibly print out the restrictions for a more thorough understanding of the agreement to decide whether the terms are acceptable before downloading the program; and, the size of the download, again to allow a potential customer to decide whether they want to download the program or purchase a CD. Nonetheless, the askSam Web site provides ample information for a potential purchaser to have a reasonable grasp of the potentialities of the software--something, alas, many software program Web sites do not feature. Other comments Reviewer 1: The reviewed version, askSam Professional, carries a rather steep retail price of $395. Companies and researchers with huge amounts of data may find the full-text indexing feature available in the Professional version worth the cost. Those who do not need indexing will find all the other features of askSam, including full-text searches, in a version that sells for $149. The company also offers very substantial educational discounts to those who qualify for them. Reviewer 2: The real question a user needs to ask in the purchase decision is “Will the benefits justify the investment?” While askSam is by no means a cheap program ($149.95 for Standard and $395.00 for Pro), one must consider the time investment in learning how to use this program. Only if one has a lot of information (and I mean a lot) and is not very organized, then the investment in the long run would be worthwhile. The program does do what is claimed and does it in a very fast and accurate way; but, many users will find that there are other options available that are not as fast, but just as accurate and require a lot less investment. Reviewer 3: askSam supports only Windows 98 through XP. It does not support any version of Windows Vista or other operating systems. It supports Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browsers only for “right-click” functionality for importing Web pages. In developing an extensive database, I had the occasion to contact askSam by telephone. The support contact was very friendly and extremely helpful. We discussed the various training options, custom template designs, and on-site training options that askSam offers. I also found that the user base that frequents the askSam Forum is very knowledgeable, even on this latest version. They were a great help in resolving some issues that I had in designing this database that I could not resolve using the version 6 documentation. Reviewer 4: The 30-day trial period is short. Considering the range and power of askSam, askSam deserves, and requires, more than a few cursory glances. It has quite a learning curve but it is worth it. If the Pro version represents a financial challenge, consider starting with the Standard version. AskSam has been in the database business for nearly 25 years; I recall this program from the old DOS pre-Windows era, at which time it was already highly regarded. It has outlived most of the ground-breaking programs which were in use when askSam was born, such as WordStar, VisiCalc, Ventura Publisher and dBase II. For a way of managing the many kinds of information that we collect as we go about the daily business of using our computers, askSam can easily replace many of the minor specialized database programs that can be purchased for $30, $40, or $50. If askSam does not have a ready-made template for most of these kinds of programs, one can easily create his/her own. In addition to data entry and import, the search and report-creating sections of askSam make this program stand head and shoulders above any others I have seen. Reviewer 5: If one has a complex project, consultants are available from askSam at additional cost. Reviewer 6: In view of the price, $395.00 for the Professional version and $149.00 for the standard version, askSam is really not for the casual user but is justified only by the serious researcher or professional in need of this kind of sophisticated document and information handling. In addition, this is not an easy program to learn and to master will take hundreds of hours of constant use. If, however, one has the need for such information handling, and the time to invest in learning to use all that this program has to offer, then this program really has no equal and is worth its cost. The 30-day free trial version will help make that decision. Will you continue to use it? Reviewer 1: Yes, I will definitely continue to use askSam for making databases and for archiving my Gmail messages. I will use other programs, however, for saving Web pages and for archiving email from clients that askSam does not support. Reviewer 2: No. Reviewer 3: Yes. Now that I have invested the time to learn how to use it, I can envision a number of things that I would like to keep track of using a searchable askSam database. Reviewer 4: Yes, absolutely. It is one of that very small group of essential programs that I use daily, and that I expect to be using for many years to come. Reviewer 5: Maybe. While I can appreciate that this is a powerful and potentially useful database program, there were simply too many difficulties in getting it to work smoothly for me to continue using it for collecting information from my stored data. Its ability to smoothly collect Web sites may make me reconsider. Reviewer 6: No. Quite frankly it is too complex for my home needs and my professional needs are served by a more sophisticated database system at my workplace. OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center Back