# Looking for software **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596 "2005-12-08T01:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/1 "2005-12-08T01:10:26Z")
I tried Googling on this, but there are a lot of parameters and I couldn’t get anything that seemed to be what I want. I am looking for software that combines recipe organization, including ability to: [ul]download recipes[/ul] [ul]enter my own recipes[/ul] [ul]do meal planning[/ul] [ul]create shopping lists[/ul] [ul]do nutritional analysis of recipes and/or meals[/ul] [ul]convert recipes to different number of servings (i.e. figure out the ingredient amounts for 3 people when the original recipe is for 8 people) [/ul]together with food and exercise log, including ability to: [ul]Enter food eaten, have program translate into calories, fat, sodium, etc. (ideally, tracking only those elements I care about) [/ul] [ul]Log exercise activities and calories[/ul] [ul]Track physical parameters like weight, maybe others (I can’t think of any others right now)[/ul] [ul]Set targets and track progress against targets (optional) [/ul] [ul]Chart any of this stuff (optional) [/ul]There are lots of programs that do the recipe organization stuff, and lots that do food and exercise logs, but I haven’t been able to find any that do both (or two that work together seamlessly). Any suggestions? Anyone already have this? Thanking the helpful Dopers in advance. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/2 "2005-12-08T01:44:45Z")
[Try this](http://www.softcities.com/Personal-Trainer-One/download/236.htm). I had a hunch and Googled “Recipe Management System.” X Management System seems to be a pretty popular marketing schema. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/3 "2005-12-08T04:02:41Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > [Try this](http://www.softcities.com/Personal-Trainer-One/download/236.htm). I had a hunch and Googled “Recipe Management System.” X Management System seems to be a pretty popular marketing schema. Ooh, looks nice. This could be the one, and only 20 bucks. Thanks for the advice on Googling, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/4 "2005-12-08T05:15:21Z")
As an amusing aside, in the 70s when IBM executives were discussing the potential for a “home computer” the only possible use for it they could think of was for housewives to organize their recipes… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/5 "2005-12-08T07:57:52Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > As an amusing aside, in the 70s when IBM executives were discussing the potential for a “home computer” the only possible use for it they could think of was for housewives to organize their recipes… 😃 Amusing, but completely untrue! In “the 70s”, IBM was already selling a PC. In September, 1975 IBM’s Entry Level Systems unit unveiled the IBM 5100 Portable Computer. It is a briefcase-size minicomputer with BASIC, 16 kB RAM expandable to 64 kB, tape storage drive holding 204 kB per tape, keyboard, and built-in 5-inch screen. Price: US $8,975-19,975. Weight: 55 pounds. See IBM’s archives here [IBM Archives: IBM 5100 Portable Computer](http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_2.html) or Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM\_5100](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_5100) or [IBM 5100 computer](http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5100.html). IBM provided 3 software libraries for the machine (Finance, Statistics, & Math), each containing about 30 programmed routines. And it came with BASIC & APL interpreters for customer-written programs. Certainly more than organizing recipies! Do you have any reliable cites of “IBM executives” saying any such thing? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/6 "2005-12-08T08:10:28Z")
Yes, but neither the 5100 nor the 5150 (the IBM PC) were ever intended for home use, but rather small businesses. The ill-conceived PCjr was IBM’s first true “home PC” and its failure only confirmed their executives’ doubts about the market. I’ve read these accounts in several _history of PCs_ books and I think it was mentioned in Cringely’s Triumph of the Computer Nerds. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-software/334596/7 "2005-12-08T18:25:05Z")
Great. I think [this](http://slshareware.com/food_journal.asp) is the actual website for that software.