Yeah, that sounds about right.

I'm probably go with MySQL or Postgres for the database as they are free and good and easy to set up. MySQL has a program called MySQL Workbench that makes managing the database pretty easy.

Libreoffice base (also free) might make a okay front end, but I haven't used it. A web-based front-end would be best but that involves a fair bit of coding.

Right now I'm working on a project for my Wife's upcoming study that uses a MySQL database, PHP for server-side endpoints, and Angular2 + Bootstrap for the web front end. I could share some code to help you with a jumping off point, but I've just started it so I don't have much yet.

At work, we use a Cassandra database, a made-from-scratch server for endpoints, and mobile apps. So I know that stuff pretty well too, but that's way overkill made to handle millions of users.

I agree with DX that you probably just want to link to files. There are NoSQL databases that deal well with storing documents, but SQL will be easier to work with. SQL databases can be harder to scale but that's not a concern here.

That would be fantastic, Gud.

My market wouldn't ever hit millions of users, but I think there is a reasonably sized songwriter market out there that might bite, if I got it off the ground beyond, hey this sure is nice for me. I would have to give some thought to the ins & outs of monetization at that point, though, because the bit that makes it valuable is also sort of sensitive data, and I'm not sure how well the labels would take to me encroaching on their ground, even if I am using all publicly available info. And I guess I'd need to figure out how I'd scale once I got to that point.

Linking to files is fine. It's more just that I need to have one place I know I can go to in a hurry to get the right info in a predictable format. I mean, I need to do that sort of data organization work on my side anyway, regardless of how I access it, so that's probably just a project on its own.

Ok, thanks a lot, guys, this gives me a good point to get researching on. It'll be fun to get my code feet wet again.

Cool. I'm sorting out authentication on the front-end right now. Once that's in order I can shoot some code your way.

Perfect. I really appreciate it.

Not quite sure if this is the best place to ask...but I need some advice on buying walkie talkies. I am one of the coordinators of our Good Ole Fashioned Hoedown at the stables in April. We want to get 4 units so that we can communicate easier. The longest distance is about a mile over hilly terrain and a few buildings.

We need something that is reasonably priced but reliable. Any tips?

Hey Liese,

What I'll probably do is create a project on GitLab with a generalized version of what I'm doing for this study. I still have a bit to work out before I can get there though.

SuziQ, I purchased a handful of these for work in the theater. They might get 1 mile line of sight. Not sure about through buildings. They are cheap Chinese knock-offs. The ear/mic pieces don't work so good. The connector on the ear/mic piece is a fraction of a size different than the connector on the radio, which causes lack of connection in the mic. So, if you don't need to use those, it's not a bad radio for cheap. [link]

Oh fun! Microsoft has started sending ads to the Win 10 lock screen. Details (and how to turn it the fuck off) here:

http://lifehacker.com/windows-10-is-showing-ads-on-your-lockscreen-heres-how-1760984834