Marc -
You should qualify a customer like this. Powerbuilder, if I recall, is the
front end language from Sybase. So odds are good that the company you are
using is a Sybase shop. How big is the company? If they are large enough
to have a department with programmers who write their own interfaces in
Powerbuilder and in fact do use Sybase as an engine, then RBWin (in my
opinion) is not the answer. These guys will be used to an object oriented
approach, a rich interface feature set, a strong IDE and a 4GL language that
natively supports (or soon will) interaction with web apps. Powerbuilder
can probably take advantage of components such as COM/DCOM, extending its
functionality. And if they are using Sybase as a back end, they could have
one or more DBA's who do nothing but manage enterprise databases, manage
clustered servers and write stored procedures that can do things like
instantiating remote objects, porting data in XML, and making a darn good
cup of coffee.
On the other hand, they could just have a couple of guys who "tinker" with
Powerbuilder or are just running a Powerbuilder app that someone else wrote.
They may not have/need/want the extensive tools (and resources) that go with
the above scenario. They may appreciate the RBWin environment and its
integrated Forms/Reports modules and not having to worry about n-tier design
and having to use database objects to connect to the datasource. The beauty
could be in its simplicity and the bang for the buck that it can offer.
What platform (or platforms) do they use? How many employees (i.e.
concurrent users)? How many locations?
If a larger, more complex solution is needed, you may want to consider
pushing Oterro, but you would probably have to demonstrate significant
performance advantages against their current engine. Enough, in fact, to
warrant the loss of some pretty high-end database functionality. If a
solution is needed does not require such extensive tools and resources, the
"total package" approach of RBWin may do the trick. The right tool for the
right job....
My $.02
----- Original Message -----
From: "marc schluter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 6:02 AM
Subject: RBase Vs Power Builder
> HI all
>
> I have a meeting in 2 wks with a company that user
> Power Builder. I am hoping to get them to switch to
> RBase Win.
>
> Can anyone give me any information about Power Builder
> that I can share with them so they can see the light?
>
> thanks
> marc
>
>
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