---
title: "A Text Application for Abacus"
type: "article"
slug: "a-text-application-for-abacus"
url: "http://localhost/article/a-text-application-for-abacus/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/a-text-application-for-abacus.md"
published_at: "2026-01-21T14:51:57+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-01-21T14:51:57+00:00"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "One normally expects to use a spreadsheet program to manipulate lines and columns of numbers. I work in the anesthesia department of a fairly large hospital and have been using ABACUS for designing work schedules for the past year. Having first planned to do scheduling using QUILL, I soon found out that ABACUS offered advantages…"
category:
  - name: "CATS Newsletter"
    slug: "cats-newsletter"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/cats-newsletter/"
post_tag:
  - name: "QL"
    slug: "ql"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ql/"
model:
  - name: "Sinclair QL"
    slug: "sinclair-ql"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/sinclair-ql/"
indiv:
  - name: "Lee Gayman"
    slug: "lee-gayman"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/lee-gayman/"
publication_r:
  id: 35941
  title: "CATS Newsletter"
  type: "periodical"
  url: "http://localhost/periodical/cats-newsletter/"
authors_r:
  - name: "Lee Gayman"
    slug: "lee-gayman"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/lee-gayman/"
volume: "8"
issue: "11"
issues_articles:
  - id: 38925
    title: "CATS v8 n11"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/cats-v8-n11/"
pages: "3-4"
pubdate: "April 1991"
archive_link: false
---

# A Text Application for Abacus

One normally expects to use a spreadsheet program to manipulate lines and columns of numbers. I work in the anesthesia department of a fairly large hospital and have been using ABACUS for designing work schedules for the past year. Having first planned to do scheduling using QUILL, I soon found out that ABACUS offered advantages which I will describe below.