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As promised in our preliminary review (Hispania, December 1985), we propose to make a more detailed commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of this integrated software package. We now have had several months experience with Nota Bene, and base our observations in this review on two kinds of activities: 1) the note-taking, documentation, and word processing involved in the production of foreign language research materials; 2) the establishment and manipulation of an extensive free-form and multi-lingual database. The second activity, now in its initial stages, will lead to an annotated bibliographic guide to the avant-garde in Latin America, and brings with it special needs for integrating word processing and database management. The hardware on which we are using Nota Bene, as indicated in the earlier review, is an expanded IBM PC-XT (512KB internal memory, two disk drives, and 20MB fixed disk capacity) with an IBM Color Graphics printer and an Enhanced Color Display. Initially we installed Nota Bene for use on the floppy-disk drives, but we have since reinstalled it on the hard disk in order to organize our files better and to facilitate the transfer of files from other systems. We had earlier expressed disappointment with the printed support materials provided with Nota Bene, a concern which added use has not dispelled. However, in direct contacts with support personnel over the telephone, we received effective assistance in resolving questions regarding reinstallation procedures and other matters. Dragonfly Software maintains a number (not toll-free) in Brooklyn, New York, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. The staff will answer questions about uses of Nota Bene, but consultations on programming are charged at current rates. We also understand that the MLA is providing support for Nota Bene, although we have not yet tried to use this service. We mentioned, also in our earlier review, our search for a single software package that would handle all the demands of an extended research/bibliographic project like ours. We originally chose Nota Bene because it had attractive basic features in an integrated package. After using it for several months we realize that neither Nota Bene nor any other package we know of can fill all our complex requirements. However, in learning to use Nota Bene we have discovered a very useful feature, a programming language which will facilitate making changes in our files and in the software so as to better meet our specific needs. Therefore, we have decided to invest the time necessary to learn both the fundamentals of programming and the effective use of Nota Bene's programming language. We perceive important benefits, both for the project and for our individual work. Becoming more familiar with programming concepts will allow us in the short run to manipulate our various files more efficiently, and for the long run will force us to analyze and organize in

In a recent newsletter (Summer, 1985) and a subsequent special announcement to its members, the Modern Language Association has endorsed for the first time, and is currently marketing, an integrated word processing and data base management package for use on microcomputers (Nota Bene, Dragonfly Software Company, $495 list price, special price of $396 to MLA members). Writing for PC Magazine (July 23, 1985, p. 64), Stephen Manes takes note of that unusual endorsement and underlines the Association's intention to market directly to its own members and those of related organizations. We found the MLA announcement to be of immediate interest, since we are in the initial stages of an extensive annotated bibliography on the avant-garde in Latin America. We have available for project use an IBM PC-XT (20 MB hard disk capacity), but up to this point our searches for adequate software support have been largely unsuccessful. Most packages have been designed for business use and are not adaptable to our needs. The excellent Finder/Search Companion retrieval system, designed by Aaron/Smith Associates for library use, was promising as an integrated system, but the entire package would have cost nearly $2,000. In that context Nota Bene appeared to offer integration of various important functions, multilingual word processing, and the generation of cross-listings and indexes at a price which was acceptable. On the strength of those announced capabilities we ordered Nota Bene, have installed it on our system, and have begun to make use of it in our project. We should note that we are not programmers nor computer scientists, but we do have several years combined experience in word processing and data base management on both microcomputers and mainframe systems. It is precisely our intention to use Nota Bene extensively that motivates our comments in the pages of Hispania. This review is a preliminary assessment of the package as we have installed it and have been able to use it up to this point. After we have had an opportunity to test Nota Bene's capabilities with materials from our own project, we will provide a more complete evaluation. At this moment, however, we will describe the package for potential AATSP users, omment on the installation process, and provide an evaluation of the support and training materials.