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About SeriousB Windows

The following introduction tells you what you need to know about
SeriousB Windows right away. It is followed by
download instructions, more detailed benefits, and
using SeriousB to set up your own applications.

Introducing SeriousB Windows

SeriousB Windows is the software program we created to provide custom
business applications at very low prices. We have needed to
incorporate various preset applications as a starting point for
customization, not to re-invent the wheel with each application.

For instance, the included Multi-Sale application is a
full-featured, ready-to-use, point-of-sale, inventory, and receivables
program with multiple invoice/sale screens to suit a wide variety of
business types. It also includes the "nuts and bolts" features of an
accounting program including payables, bank statement, G/L, Trial
Balance, P&L, Balance Sheet, Break-Even, and various special journals.

Long-term software reliability

Setting up SeriousB applications uniquely does not require
programming. This is one way we save you money. The "set up" parts of
all applications are immediately visible, documented, and revisable,
allowing any revisions or fixes to ultimately be done by end-users. Of
course most people don't spend time on that when we are ready to do it
quickly and inexpensively.

Since we manufacture the SeriousB development platform as well as your
custom application, there's nothing we can't fix or revise, and we're
organized to do this the same day or next day, making them immediately
available to you. Over half our applications are replacements for
well-known accounting packages mostly for these reasons. And we have
become expert at porting data from other programs to SeriousB.

Sample SeriousB screen

Is SeriousB Windows right for your business?

* Sales in the $300,000 to $10,000,000 range?
* Unique software needs or needs change?
* Need faster or more reliable operation on your network?
* Current software not handling volume?
* Unique inventory, pricing, or invoicing situations?
* Multiple Inventory locations or stages of production?
* Different business types on one system?
* Need problems fixed right away?

The more "yes" answers, the better SeriousB fits your business.

Exclusive SeriousB features

Price

The "professional" networked versions of low-end accounting programs
for small business start at about $500 for a few network stations,
relational databases about the same, "application generators" about
$1,000, and "preset" point-of-sale/inventory programs usually more
than that. And these are mostly tools that can't be fixed. SeriousB
offers high-end performance, contains the "nuts and bolts" features of
all these types, is totally oriented towards small business, and is
uniquely customizable and serviceable. Thus we feel that our price of
$750 with printed manuals (see below), or $299 with online manuals,
for up to 26 or more network stations is most competitive for anyone
seeking well-rounded capability for small business. You are welcome to
download and try it free for 30 days.

But most businesses having 3-20 network stations will need
customization in the areas of inventory, invoicing, pricing, orders,
quotes, picking tickets, mailing, sales reporting, and/or production,
etc., and possibly in accounting functions as well. We can provide
your custom application quickly for about the cost of adding another
station or two to your network, a small price to make all your
computers match your business.

If you are interested in a custom application, please contact us here.
We're anxious to get together on the phone to discuss your needs and
budget. Custom applications are guaranteed to meet your needs in all
detail including delivery, customization, training, 3 months free
support, but with none of the usual updates, licenses, extra charges
per station, support contracts, etc., or other added costs later.
Before you send a dime, you can talk to any number of business owners
who have used SeriousB applications for up to 17 years. And we'll
throw in SeriousB for free.

Printed manuals

We have put plans to offer printed manuals on hold until we can
determine there is sufficient demand. Thus we have reduced the
SeriousB price from $750 to $299, since we also save the cost of
retail packaging. Please contact Micromiser if you would be interested
in receiving printed manuals at the higher price.

Thanks for considering SeriousB Windows and Micromiser!

Send questions or comments

Download SeriousB Windows

Download SeriousB Windows 30-day free trial

Includes Multi-Sale and three smaller applications.
Works with these Windows versions: 95 / 98 / SE / ME / XP

Special offer to Windows NT users

Registration and updates

Registration Information, Online Registration
Update information

More about SeriousB Windows

Using SeriousB as an App Generator to set up applications.
No programming required! If you have the time and business
experience, you can set up or revise applications yourself. Click the
above link for information. Note to xBase professionals and
technical reviewers: This link also includes a detailed comparison
to xBase programs including important points for your review and a
quick-start primer for xbase programmers.

How are SeriousB applications different?

Designed for use on networks

SeriousB works fine on single computers, but is primarily designed to
be used on small business networks of about 3-20 computers. This
dictates several differences from Windows software with which
you are probably familiar in the following areas:

* Biggest cost of ownership is operator time
* Operators usually not owners
* Designed for continuous use
* Interface maximizes productivity
* Help system is owner-revisable
* Application setup immediately accessible
* Non-interference with Windows configuration
* Documentation addressed to system manager
* Data security under adverse network conditions
* Redundant inventory updating assures correct levels
* Remote control and report/process automation
* Remote maintenance features
* Features designed to assist support
* Allows software independence

SeriousB compared to accounting, database programs

You could think of SeriousB as being a combination of an accounting
program, point-of-sale/inventory program, and database program.

Compared to accounting programs

SeriousB is like accounting programs in that it includes the
"Multi-Sale" application, a preset receivables, P/S, inventory,
Payables, and Accounting program with invoice/sale options to suit
many types of businesses. Similar to the "transactions" parts of
accounting programs, there is also a Retail application suitable for
many retail shops, and the "Parts & Service" application, a P/S,
inventory, and receivables application, though these two have no
formal D/E bookkeeping functions or payables as preset.

SeriousB is not like accounting programs in that it only does the
accounting (D.E. Bookkeeping actually) that small businesses typically
need to do: G/L (General Journal), Trial Balance, Profit & Loss,
Balance Sheet, and can be set up to provide a Break-Even Report,
various payables/checks analysis reports and special Journals
("Multi-Sale" includes these). Most accounting programs provide more
actual bookkeeping reports. Other than strict accounting reports,
accounting programs and SeriousB both provide transaction reports in
receivables, payables, etc., and SeriousB is probably more powerful in
this regard than low-end accounting programs, but not quite as feature
rich as high-end accounting programs.

SeriousB is not like accounting programs in that it offers total
flexibility to revise or set up new capability, whereas accounting
programs are preset. It is also much faster, handles more volume, with
more powerful networking than most accounting packages.

Compared to database programs

SeriousB is like a database program in that you can set up screens to
enter records, and it has a report generator to process the record
information and report it in various ways. It is a relational database
because you can retrieve or update information to/from anywhere in
"realtime" during record entry/edit, or during report operations.

But SeriousB is not like a database program in that it is totally
oriented towards setting up small business capability. Instead of
programming and xBase architecture, there are myriad features,
settings, switches, commands, and signals to accomplish standard
business tasks. It also has a proprietary database architecture that
is much faster than xBase programs. The proprietary interface makes
operation and data entry much faster as well, easy on your eyes, quick
to navigate, and easy to identify characters.

Those standard business features that are generally too complex for
non-professionals are preset to an appropriate degree to relieve the
user of designing and implementing them. For example, there are
wizards for setting up complex report operations, menu selections, and
general ledger specs. Setting up stock-level maintenance and
generating basic inventory reports is almost totally preset and is
"customized" just by modifying a few commands. Same for
receivables/payables aging and accounting features, though setting up
an accounting system would be too complex for most. If you cannot use
the preset "Multi-Sale" application, you will probably need to have a
professional set up your accounting (we would use "Multi-Sale" as a
starting point, then revise it to suit your needs).

What can a custom application do for me?

Using off-the-shelf software in business is like paying $2,000 for a
professional camera, then using a $10 lens: It will work. You'll get
pictures. But most of the $2,000 is wasted. Targeting your sales,
profit, and cost centers to implement your unique policies for
competitive advantage, custom software can double or triple the
benefit of the whole system including hardware, repairs, and operator
salaries. You don't need to be an accountant to see the obvious
increase in return-on-investment of reliable and inexpensive custom
software to make your computers match your business.

Your custom application will pay for itself in a year

Most important is the ability of your custom application to help you
take care of customers. But here are three "concrete" ways it can pay
for itself: SeriousB is uniquely fast, compact, and efficient at
handling large volumes of activity on a network. It works great on
cheap $500 computers, including the server. That could save you
hundreds of dollars per station as you add or update hardware. Next,
the biggest cost of a computer system is operator salaries. SeriousB
is designed throughout to reduce operator time, easily allowing you to
recoup your investment. Last, you own the copyright to your unique
application. You can design it to work for similar businesses, then
sell it.

Rate-of-return, "Total cost of ownership"

SeriousB is designed to maximize rate-of-return on the entire computer
system including hardware, operator salaries, and unique capability
for competitive advantage. There is more emphasis on speed, capacity,
expansion, easy and automatic maintenance including remote operation,
error-checking, readability and hand-movement, saving time in
repetitive tasks, documentation, security of the database under
adverse networking conditions and configurations, total flexibility
and ease of adding any capability without programming to handle any
future needs, and features to assist us to offer inexpensive,
immediate support that solves the problem quickly in every case. These
are features you won't see in the first thirty minutes, but are
crucial to long-term success in a serious business environment.

Will this thing work?

You can be confident that this software will work as advertised now
and in the future. Note that you do not need to scour this entire site
in futile hopes of finding a way to contact us for support. If you
find any bugs, we will fix them immediately free of charge, and make
the revised program immediately available on this web site, usually by
the next day. All you need to do is contact us with a description of
the problem.

Any questions? Please ask them here.

Thanks for your interest in SeriousB Windows!

(C) 2001 Micromiser Software