I have had a number of requests for a read-only version of the Museum Archive software. A read-only viewer would allow organizations to distribute a copy of their data to the public without fear that the data will be altered. I’ve completed the first version of the viewer, and it is available for download at the web site: www.musarch.com/downloads.
To test the viewer, drop the EXE into your installation folder and run it. This is a stand-alone EXE; the only files it requires are the data files (all TPS files) from the regular package, along with the images referenced by the database.
To distribute the viewer, copy the EXE and your TPS files on to a CD or into a zip file. You should include your images if you want them displayed (and if you don’t mind distributing copies to the public).
I’d appreciate feedback about this software. I plan on creating a version 2 which will package up your data and images into a single file - this will further protect your data and images from use by anything other than the viewer software. By including a copy of the images in the single file, problems with the path to the image are eliminated. This second version will be a more labor-intensive undertaking, so I’d like to know if there is a real need for it before I spend any more time.