Boring Log Software

The first boring log software programs were developed in the early 1980's when relatively inexpensive personal computers and plotters became standard equipment in offices. Up until then, most environmental and geotechnical firms were using manual drafting or AutoCAD, and each borehole log could take several hours to complete. Laser printers at the time operated under DOS and did not have the graphics capabilities that they do now. For this reason, borehole log software programs generally supported plotters, not printers. You could hear the plotter ticking away, drawing each dot of a sand pattern, for 20 minutes on a boring log diagram that takes just seconds to print today.

The DOS user interface for borehole logging software until the mid 1990's was not nearly as user-friendly as the interfaces today. The visual programming languages introduced by Microsoft in the early 1990's made rapid Windows programming possible. Now, with the advent of inexpensive tablet computers, geologist can create boring log / well log diagrams in real time, while still in the field. Overall, boring log software has come a long way in the last 30 years.