> Message: 11
> Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 19:25:19 +0800 (PHT)
> From: Pablo Manalastas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: [plug] NCURSES for POS
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Hi Pablo,

> The virtue of a visual basic app running under win98 is that there
> are many visual basic programmers who can write your application --
> in fact your present application might in fact be already in vb.
> As long as this program is well-written and you do not run any other
> app on the client (like play games), vb apps tend to be somewhat
> robust.  A pc-curses app running under msdos will require an even
> smaller footprint, and is just as robust(?) as the win98 app.

Point well taken, however, we already have a Windows version of our POS app.

> I think what you want to do is run a database server (mysql, postgresql,
> ibm/db2, or oracle) on a really big and reliable linux box (running kernel

Yes.  The store server application runs on a Cobalt RAQ appliance server
using Firebird as its database.

> I know that this recommendation is the ORIGINAL SIN on this list,
> but hey, we have to give the legions of VB programmers some job to do.

Well, if Great Plains and Microsoft have their way, there won't be too many
applications left to build (see http://www.microsoft.com/business/small/) in
the Windows platform.  All of them will be convenient Windows add-ons, owned
by Microsoft, just like IE and MS Office.  This means that developers like
us will have to compete with Microsoft.  Of course, weve all seen what has
happened to people (Borland, Netscape, Stacker, WordPerfect etc...) who have
tried to compete with Microsoft products in the Windows platform.  This is
why Linux is a great and ***FAIR*** alternative!

I've been writing Windows programs since the early nineties.  Back then, I
remember Gates telling Andersen Consulting that Microsoft would never enter
the business applications arena.  On Dec 2000, they bought Great Plains
software, with plans of "doing for business applications, what they have
done for MS Office".  For a software company like ours, trying to peddle
home-grown business applications running under Windows, this meant death.  I
mean, when was the last time you saw a company award a contract to build a
customized word processor or spreadsheet for Windows?  It may sound just as
absurd to build a customized HR or Inventory system, for Windows, five years
from now.






_
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