The PC Products Database, produced by EMS Professional Shareware, is a comprehensive, 228,298 record database of all known PC hardware, software, and publication products and the companies that make them. The database is available in dBASE format (with search engine) on 3 diskettes or on CD-ROM with dBASE, GREPable text and Windows Help file formats. It includes mailing addresses, phone, fax, BBS, and toll-free phone numbers, and Internet Email, FTP and Web addresses for 25,230 companies. There are short descriptions of 75,000 products as well as addresses and phone numbers of international divisions of companies. There are 4121 Email addresses, 7881 toll free/800 numbers and 1615 BBS support numbers. Computer Reseller News gave it their Star Search award for promising new products in 1993. TBBS and PCBoard PPE/PPS programs to put the database on-line on BBSes are available. The database is updated every three months by Baker Enterprises. A no-hassle site license is $25 for the entire site of ANY size company. Ordering information.
You can search for companies by name or by free text search across company name and address and for products by name, free text search or by type. The type search is hierarchical, so that you can progressively narrow your search to a manageable number of products, and then browse through the products matching your criteria. The Windows Help file version can be used by anyone who can press F1 in Windows, and runs amazingly fast directly from the CD-ROM. The dBASE version should be moved to the PC hard disk before use (needs about 22MB). The dBASE version allows for easy extracts of magazines, shareware producers, etc. for people who can import and manipulate dBASE files. A text version is also included on the CD-ROM for those who love to GREP.