Well if we are talking a small multiuser system then it does have some advantages. In my view those advantages are more than outweighed by the potential for data corruption anytime a client freezes or disconnects from the network, not to mention lack of Stored Procs etc (at least in the version I used). That's why we use MSDE/SQL Server instead now.
However that doesn't mean everyone would come to the same conclusion I did. For some people Access's advantages might be godsends. For example, I have my doubts that our Christchurch customer is using the same server box that they were using 8 years ago (they might be but it seems unlikely). That means they have probably moved the database on their own without support. With Access moving the database just means moving the mdb file and creating a new network share. I doubt they would have been able to move an MSDE database without our help. Similarly backing up MSDE requires either special backup software or running a script to backup the data/log files to disk and then to your backup destination. Backing up Access is a simple matter of copying a file. Access is also blindingly fast at accessing data which isn't changing. Once data has been cached locally it becomes near impossible for a proper server based database to compete in pure read speed terms. Of course if the data being accessed is constantly changing then the situation reverses, etc. Just because most serious developers value the functionality of a server based database more than the functionality Access provides doesn't mean that it is a completely useless product. All IMO of course. And should be taken with a grain of salt as I haven't used Access for development since 1998... David. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Neven MacEwan Sent: Thursday, 16 March 2006 3:45 p.m. To: NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List Subject: Re: [DUG] List working? David In my opinion a software product that doesn't meet very high reliability levels in its designers intended use is a poor product, If you are prepared to state that Access is a very reliable platform in multiuser environments I'd be interested, otherwise you might as well suggest a person with a stutter makes a very good news reader providing you listen carefully Neven David Brennan wrote: > We have a customer in Christchurch who has been running an old VB4 version > of our software with multiple client machines connecting to an Access 2.0 > (32 bit) database. They have been running the software for about 7 or 8 > years. > > We tend to forget they are there... because they have never once called with > a problem of any sort. > > Not saying you are going to be that lucky every time and part of the reason > we don't hear from them may be that the program has startup code for > attempting auto-recovery from corrupted databases. But Access <can> be > surprisingly fast and reliable. > > David. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Neven MacEwan > Sent: Thursday, 16 March 2006 3:16 p.m. > To: NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List > Subject: Re: [DUG] List working? > > Don't be dim James are you saying that Access is not intended for DB > applications, The assertion that its ok and was designed for "single > user desktop style" apps and not anything more is crap if it wasn't > intended for " multi user environment" then it shouldn'd effing well > support it (badly or otherwise) should it? > > Neven > > James Sugrue wrote: >> The problem isn't with Access, the problem is people using Access for > things >> it's not really intended for. >> Access is fine - and I use it all the time - for single user desktop style >> applications. It's when it gets used in a multi user environment things > can >> be a problem, especially when combined with bad design or programming. >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On >> Behalf Of Maurice Butler >> Sent: Thursday, 16 March 2006 8:28 a.m. >> To: 'NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List' >> Subject: RE: [DUG] List working? >> >> Hi, >> If you want to know how bad Mickysoft Access is ask any school that runs >> musac - this is a student manager program that spends more time being > fixed >> than used. >> If you want sql, mdse is alright for small apps that need sql & Mickysoft >> compatablity. >> >> Maurice >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Delphi mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://ns3.123.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi >> >> > -- Neven MacEwan (B.E. E&E) Ph. 09 620 1356 Mob. 027 4749 062 New Address Details =================== MWK Computer Systems 1 Taumata Rd Sandringham Auckland Ph 620 1356 Fx 620 1336 _______________________________________________ Delphi mailing list [email protected] http://ns3.123.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi
