roasting need to use software or do the manual in the book enough?

that + stopwatch book is so valid for early studies. the most important thing is that you log something consistently. log manual problem is hard to visualize data in curve and compare batch to batch.

there's a point where software is genetically helpful: when you want to compare two batches, or you want to see what the RORs are like. At a very early stage it is overkill, but once it's batched to 15 up, the software is worth an investment in time.

there's some free software that's learning the curve. not too steep. the initial setup may require an effect, but after that it becomes perfectly natural. check out the most documented and supportive community.

long-term software is a time saver not a time waster. who needed to learn a setup and interpret the data. Once it's learned, the speed of reading and response when roasting is much better than manual.