=> -----Original Message----- => From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] => [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Michael Babcock => Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 11:36 => To: [email protected] => Subject: Re: migration efforts from FREE DBFs to RDBMS (like => SQL Server) => => You're looking at this from a developer tool perspective. => My point was about the business process side (irrelevant to => the dev tool). I see companies using MS Excel for things => like multi-user apps and trying to make them function like a => database app (and getting by poorly as a result). I don't => see companies adopting technology like database apps...I see => them doing the very least they can with Excel, just to name => an example.
IMHO when it all boils down, Excel is a bigger "threat" to SQL Server than VFP. People use it for everything and they are very protective of their accomplishments. And probably <10% actually know how to use the product effectively (optimally). We, as system professionals are too smart and too sophisticated to comment on what is done; we think it is amateurish, error-prone, labor intensive, etc. But I can assure you that is NOT how the users feel about their "children." I have seen some fairly large companies (>$10MM) with literally tens of thousands of spreadsheets, most of them with names that are too long and dated the same way you would a check (i.e. 8/7/06) instead of 20060807. 20 years ago, the really "smart" information workers were using Dbase and FoxBase to DEVELOP in-house apps. They all started out in dot-prompt or command mode and the better ones started using macros/programs. The un"smart" ones were using Lotus123 for word processing, org charts, flow charts, and other non-mathematical uses. And who could blame them? Dbase was $800. Fox was "too techy." Lotus123 was about $500 and WordPerfect also about $500. Not too bad considering that the 3.5" floppies the software came on could cost as much as $9 a pop retail. So always remember, it's someone's business and if they are not happy, nobody's gonna be happy either. HALinNY _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
