Re: [AGA-mcm] Fwd: AGA Convention

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

On Thu, 18 Nov 2004, Sean Murphy wrote:

> I guess we were too bull headed to use the Seattle system, oh wait, was it 
> offered to us?

Um, no, it wasn't.  But that's not the point Sean. In the original e-mail, 
I was just giving an example of how a simple change of numbering schemes 
can improve data entry.  This has nothing to do with our "system", which 
didn't even use that sort of numbering scheme until the second year.

Actually the reason I didn't offer our auction setup was that it's not 
really ready for prime time, in my opinion.  Though we've used it for 5 
years now here at our auctions and I am quite proud of it and do beleive 
that it's superior to a lot of systems in terms of reliability, it has 
several problems in its current condition. First, it requires ME (and not 
a designated substitute) to be running around initializing, oiling the 
system, and keeping it operating during the entire auction.  Second, the 
server runs on Linux (the clients are just web browsers and need no 
special software).  Third, it works with barcode scanners (of which I have 
several).  And fourth, it requires an old ASCII printer because I didn't 
make the software smart enough to print to printers made in this century.
Finally, it "works" quite a bit differently than most clubs are used to 
running an auction: there are no pre-definied seller sheets, the seller 
items are entered into the system as the seller registers.

With all the OTHER work I was doing with the convention, the 120 pounds of 
gear I was carting (plus the other 20 pounds I mailed to Rick), there was 
no way I was also going to bring a second laptop, a lineprinter, and a box 
of barcode scanners.  And there was no way I was also going to try and 
train a bunch of folks used to running an auction one way to a totally new 
system that would require my presence the entire 7 hours.  I was also 
under the impression that "it was covered with PVAS". Sorry.

  - Erik

--
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com
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