Minaret Version 3 Beta Test
Announcing the beta test of Minaret version 3. Minaret has been completely rewritten to support some of the most important technologies to emerge in recent years. They include the World Wide Web, Unicode and XML. New features of this release also include keyword searching (with phrase and proximity support) and the ability to read MARC 21 records with Unicode content and data from all of the MARC 21 code tables (i.e. Arabic, Asian, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew).

The beta test is completely web based (all you need is a web browser to participate). The web site provides a means to test Minaret version 3 and incorporate your feedback into the design of the system. It is also an experiment in new ways to deliver software and services to our customers.

Currently, the new software is primarily an OPAC (online catalog) that requires MARC bibliographic records as the source material. While there is currently no support for images, this feature should be added soon.

Anyone may search the sample catalogs on the test site but if you would like to create your own databases, please request a free trial account.

The address of the site is:

http://www.minaret.info

Minaret Version 1.80, Release 20
For those of you who don’t already have our latest release, we're introducing Minaret 1.80.20. This is a combination of previously separate products that runs on both stand-alone and networked PC's, with built-in networking and imaging support. Also new in version 1.80 is support for the integrated MARC format, year 2000 compliance, a Microsoft Windows setup program, Windows icons, HTML reports, a new books database, support for non-filing characters and main entry indexes, uploading to OCLC using a Telnet connection over the Internet and a new backup program.

If you already have version 1.80 and want to check if you have a particular feature, compare the version number of your copy of Minaret to the numbers listed here. You can also check the printed documentation and readme file that came with Minaret to see if you have a given feature.

Please note that Minaret does not run properly under Windows XP. We recommend any prior version of Windows.

New in Release 20

With this release, Minaret no longer requires NETBIOS or a Novell network to run in a network environment.  All that is required now (as in the past) is operating system support for file locking.  If you are running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000, you are all set.  Those of you who enabled NETBIOS on your computers just for Minaret, can turn that option back off after installing this release.

This version also adds new icons and menu options to make it easier to open databases for exclusive use.  This is required to build and remove permanent indexes.

 

Year 2000 Compliance

As of version 1.80.7, Minaret is fully year 2000 compliant.  This means that Minaret will correctly generate date fields in the year 2000 and beyond.  In addition, the software overcomes limitations in the MARC format where record creation dates are stored as two digits.

 

Microsoft Windows Support

Although Minaret is an MS-DOS program, it runs exceptionally well under Microsoft Windows 3.1 and higher. In fact, we recommend that you use Minaret with Windows 95, 98 or NT as it runs substantially faster than under other configurations. We provide a set of icons that allow you to access Minaret directly from Windows. The software runs in both full screen mode and in a window, and takes advantage of Window's cut and paste features.

 

Internet Support

Starting with 1.80.4, Minaret includes two reports that output your data in HTML format -- the language of the World Wide Web.  The files that are produced can be uploaded to a Web server for the rest of the world to see.  As with all of Minaret's reports, the material we provide can be modified to change the layout and content of the HTML pages that are produced.

 

Payment Gateway Support

The software works with several prominent payment processing networks including Entrust Bankcard, High Risk Merchants and Patriot Bankcard. Refer to your service manual for more information and instructions on how to turn on your payment gateway page.

 

Imaging

Now anyone can link color or black and white images to their database records and print them out as well. More information on Minaret's imaging features can be found here.

 

Integrated MARC Format

The integrated MARC format is the latest standard from the Library of Congress for exchanging information about your collections. Thanks to Minaret, you don't need to know anything about it except that we support it and it works. So if you want to load OCLC or RLIN records into your Minaret database or vice versa, Minaret can do it all. It's also a great way to get a presence on your local library system.

 

Books Database

Those of you with book collections will really appreciate our latest database addition. The books database provides all of the advantages of our other Minaret databases but has been customized for collections of books. In addition to standard library fields, we have included collections management information as well. This way you can include preservation, conservation, provenance and historical information about your books.

 

Non-filing Characters (or Initial Articles)

Minaret version 1.80.8 adds support for the suppression of initial articles (a, an, the, etc.) when sorting a list of titles.   This is implemented with the MARC concept of non-filing characters. All MARC title fields have a second indicator (just think of it as another subfield in Minaret) that controls the number of characters to skip in the title when sorting by title.  With this feature turned on, you can browse a list of titles and output reports in title order without having  your records  bunched together by their initial articles.

 

Main Entry Indexes

This feature was added to version 1.80.8 and will only appeal to heavy duty librarians (you know who you are). There is an unusual index required by librarians called a "main entry index". In general, the index contains the creator of a given item (the person, corporation or meeting that produced a work). There is a special case where a record does not have any of the creator fields filled in. In this case, the "main entry" index should contain the title of the work.  This type of indexing is now supported by Minaret.

 

OCLC Upload Using Telnet

Since version 1.80.7 you can now upload your Minaret records directly to OCLC over the Internet with the Telnet protocol.  This is the easiest and cheapest way to get your records into OCLC.  This feature requires that you have an account with OCLC and that you have the Windows 95 version of Procomm Plus communications software.

 

Backup Program

We have provided a new backup program that allows you to make backup copies of your Minaret files and databases. You can backup and restore your data to and from floppy disks via. either the Minaret main menu or by clicking on a Windows icon. We've made it that much easier for you to do the right thing and back up your files more often.

 

Previous Improvements

For those of you who didn't upgrade to version 1.70, there are numerous other improvements you are missing out on. They include color screens, keyboard macros, the ability to edit an authority record with the press of a few keys, word-wrapping and full screen displays within the index browser and authority control windows, a menu system, and numerous other improvements.

New Copies
New copies of Minaret 1.80 for MS-DOS cost $2000 per user. Pricing and ordering information for new copies can be found here.

Update Pricing
If you already have Minaret 1.80 and want to receive an update that includes all of the features in the latest release, the cost is $225 or one hour of support.  Updates are only available via electronic delivery (we will email you instructions for downloading and installing your new software).  If you have at least an hour of support time, just e-mail your request for an update to info@minaretsoftware.com.  Otherwise, please fill in an upgrade order form and send it in with a check or purchase order to the address on the top of the order form.  A new license agreement is not needed for an update.

Upgrade Pricing
If you purchased a previous version of the non-demo version of Minaret, you can upgrade to version 1.80 for the following prices: If you currently own a single-user version of Minaret, you can upgrade for $700 per copy. If you currently have the network or imaging versions of Minaret, you can upgrade for $500 per copy. If you have the network version of Minaret with imaging, the price is $300 per copy.

If your institution has licensed more than one copy of Minaret, you must upgrade all copies at the same time. Each upgrade includes the latest software, a comprehensive 360 page manual and an hour of telephone support.

Ordering Upgrades
To order a Minaret upgrade, fill in an upgrade order form, sign a license agreement and send them both along with a check to:

Minaret Corp.
40 W. 15th St., Suite 1B
New York, NY 10011
(212) 647-1470

If you need an upgrade order form or license agreement, click on any of the "upgrade order form" or "license agreement" links on this page. Once you have the form loaded in your browser, use the browser's print command (usually found on the File menu) to print out a paper copy. Then use the browser's "Back" button to return to this page. You will need to print the upgrade order form and license agreement separately.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at the address above or e-mail us at: info@minaretsoftware.com

Copyright © Minaret Corp.