Roundup CollectionOffice suites managers Every month we compare tons of stuff so you don’t have to! Collection managers Got so many DVDs that you forget what they are? Marco Fioretti suggests five programs that will help you keep all your collections in order. How we tested... For the reasons explained in the introduction, we chose only three collection managers for Linux and added two generic database front- ends, all with FOSS licences. With one exception, all these applications are available as binary packages for Fedora 17, which we used for our testing process, and most other desktop distributions. After installation we created several collections with each program, both of the predefined types and also completely custom ones. Next, we tested data entry, both from online sources and by hand. We also checked each program’s search support, ease of use, customisation, and, finally, their ability to exchange collection data with the other applications. ollecting stuff is really fun. The trouble is: how do your “Should you really make the keep you collection effort to learn a different program C manageable and under control when it begins to grow and take for each collection?” on a life of its own? How do you, for instance, remember things? Should you really make the stuck at versions so old – some at least who borrowed that precious first edition effort to learn a different program for four years old – that making certain book, when you were crazy enough to each collection? features work on modern distros Our offer it? How do you keep handy These and similar questions started requires patching the source code. selection everything you just need to know about a new edition of a Roundup that LXF Eventually, it dawned on us that this each single item – such as its current ran last in 2009 [LXF125, p30] on revelation could turn out in our favour, Data Crow value on the resale market – if someone Linux-compatible, multi-purpose because it forced us to propose some GCstar Kexi asks out of the blue? Could you collection managers. This time though, alternative solutions that should both LibreOffice calculate easily how much your entire we got a big surprise when we started work well in some situations, and also Base collection is worth if you happen to get looking: there aren’t enough FOSS apps help you consider what you really need Tellico offered a slot on Four Rooms? What if to fill a Roundup anymore. Griffith, Moll or use in a collection manager. Let’s get you like to collect a lot of different and Stuffkeeper are all still online, but started then! 26 LXF176 November 2013 www.linuxformat.com Collection managers Roundup Flexibility and customisation Are they ready to do your bidding? o matter how complete a Collections present in all the software program is there’s Dedicated Three are Books, Movies/ Nalways something we’d like it to Videos and Music. Data Crow adds do differently, so what’s customisation Images and Software (also in GCstar). like for the pick of the programs? Both GCstar and Tellico provide Comic It may seem a paradox, but Base Books, Coins, Stamps, Wines and and Kexi probably are the best choices Videogames. Tellico has Bibliographies from this point of view, exactly because and Trading Cards, while GCstar also they are ‘only’ generic database manages Board Games, TV Shows interfaces. Since it’s up to you to set Series and Episodes, Periodicals, Mini TheTellico UI for creating new collection fields is simple, Collection managers them up to manage collections, the Vehicles, and Smart Cards. but very powerful, thanks to grouped (derived) variables. result can be just what you need. Unlike Data Crow, GCstar and Tellico Customisation can insert and group fields of several (from here on called the ‘Dedicated Our Dedicated Three all let users create types, such as radio buttons, text Verdict Three’), Base and Kexi can also use their own collection layouts. Data Crow strings (with or without history of Data Crow many different back-ends, from in-file, has a Media Items module that creates previously entered values) and lists. single-user databases, such as HSQL or a single meta-collection for your Each numeric field can have its own GCstar SQLite to enterprise level, such as software and multimedia, which can be predefined range, increment step and PostgreSQL or MySQL. This makes sorted by category or release date. be displayed as a star rating. Kexi them great for collections In GCstar, custom collections Tellico has several collection LibreOffice co-maintained by several users. Next, without a corresponding, explicitly templates available for download. If you Base there’s the integration with Calligra and defined type name store all their want your own custom version of LibreOffice. If you need to insert definitions and settings in one file. collections that it natively supports (eg Tellico Music collection data frequently, or use them Assigning a type name, instead, will Stamps or Wine), you can modify an as data sources for spreadsheets, then create a new, reusable ‘Personal empty one with the default template Kexi and Base why keep them out of environments collection model’, with a template instead. This is the only way to let get the top score, but you have to born to do that? Kexi and Base also stored in ${XDG_DATA_HOME}/ Tellico know what type of collection it is, do more work! support a few scripting languages. gcstar/GCModels/. In both cases you and keep using the standard icons. Data entry & online searches Data access is king when it comes to keeping collections current. he more a program can get data Base and Kexi can link to external can alternate between data sources, by itself, either from accessing data in theory. In practice, however, at changing it at every query. Tlocal files or via the internet, least for managing collections, they are Tellico also knows how to download the better. This fact alone may be the worst solution for this particular data from PubMed and bibliographic enough of a reason to use a dedicated area of interest. servers compatible with the z39.50 application instead of paper or generic Even when tools, such as the standard for online search and retrieval database software. unsupported ones available for movies of information (www.loc.gov/z3950/ Verdict at www.imdb.com/interfaces, offer to agency). Be warned though: Tellico’s download data automatically into Base website says that “Tellico is not a full- Data Crow and Kexi, you will find it’s much safer to blown bibliographic reference manager”, GCstar load the results into your database so it may not be the best choice separately, either by hand or by using available for research-related Kexi custom scripts. collections. Your mileage my vary. All of our Dedicated Three programs, Of course, not all collectibles give LibreOffice in comparison, can download data the same choices. There’s no online Base straight from reputable websites: data source for stamps in Tellico, for Tellico Music Amazon, IMDB, Sourceforge, example. In other cases, data entry may MusicBrainz and many other data even happen without any typing at all. Kexi and Base sources. GCstar can either query all the Data Crow can read metadata directly have no built-in websites in a predefined (but obviously from the most popular multimedia functions of this modifiable list), or just head off to one formats, and our Dedicated Three are kind. But Data Crow has a host website – you can change the sources all, more or less, compatible with GCstar has the simplest, least of them to try. intimidating online search interface. whenever you want. Alternatively, you barcode scanners or webcams. www.tuxradar.com November 2013 LXF176 27 Roundup Collection managers User interface Which program offers the most choice, in the simplest way? he visible part of any collection how much data you’re having to download Some collection manager programs (the manager should be simple to use, from the internet, to help you cope with slow good ones, at least) will also offer the option to T flexible when it comes to displaying connection issues. temporarily lock a collection in read-only items effectively, and offer as many options as Another important feature, especially if you mode. This can be very helpful for people who possible to find information both online and plan to use the same collection manager on find that they need to let other less from inside your actual collections. many computers, may be how much choice experienced (and possibly younger) users A collection manager’s user interface you have in the way that collections are placed browse shared collections with the same should also give you an easy way to control and the Settings files are handled. account and copy of the software. Data Crow Data Crow runs on any system where Java 1.6 (or higher) is installed (and even as a web server). In fact, this is also the only program in the Roundup that needs a manual, even if it’s just a simple installation guide: download the code, unpack it somewhere, adjust the path to the datacrow.jar file in the datacrow.sh script and make it executable. Data Crow has a skinnable graphic interface, available in English and six other languages, and a clear configuration wizard. You can switch back and forth in any moment between a Beginner and an Expert mode. We suggest staying with the former for a while, with the ‘Tip of the Day’ pop-up box active, before trying the latter. Data Crow is good, but even its Beginner mode is overwhelming.