TABRAP/CONVERSE Version 1.5
(This software is currently no longer supported, however, continues to be provided "as is" for those who still wish to make use of it.)

TABRAP and CONVERSE are age specific population projection software packages in which contraceptive use determines fertility, in contrast to conventional projection models which require specification of fertility as an input. TABRAP is a target setting model where the user specifies future target birth rates as input. CONVERSE gives the resulting birth rate of the population as a consequence of contraceptive use. The computer package also includes 8 auxilary programs which can be used to assist in the analysis from the output of the two main programs.

HPN Technologies, Inc. is proud to be the new home of the TABRAP/CONVERSE package. The software was originally developed at the Population Council by Dorothy L. Nortman, Robert G. Potter, Sharon W. Kirmeyer, John Bongaarts, and Robert Sendek. HPN Technologies, Inc., purchased all rights to the package in October 1996. Dorothy Nortman now consults for HPN Technologies, Inc. and Robert Sendek is now an owner of the company. The package as currently distributed is simply an addition to the mainframe version of a line-oriented input interface.

The package consists of the two main programs, TABRAP and CONVERSE and 8 auxiliary programs, ADJUST, MORT, CONTINUE, CONTINU2, TABLE4, COMPETE, RATIOS, and MACHO. Together the ten programs in the package provide the basis for a thorough analysis on contraceptive methods and population projections.

The publication Birth Rates and Birth Control Practice describes the theory and methodology of the package in detail.

The package runs on personal computers (PCs) under DOS 2.0 or higher with a memory of at least 256KB -- the more memory the better, of course. It can run on floppy disk systems (e.g. for teaching) if desired. See our technical note for further restrictions of the software on newer computers.

Update Notes:

• 18 February 1997: Minor bug fix to TABRAP, CONVERSE, ADJUST, and MACHO to correct an obscure problem where the programs would terminate abnormally if certain unrealistic input were used. Versions 1.51 of each of these programs fixes the bug by causing the programs to terminate properly with an intelligible error message. (Note: this bug did not cause any incorrect output to be generated, all output that occurred prior to the abnormal termination was correct.)

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