> We also didn't want to have to rely on third party software - > installers, gui tools, debuggers, configurators etc* - to > support our > app. We wanted single source for all of that. > > If something goes wrong, or a bug is uncovered, I don't want to have > to go to RS and have them say that it's a third party plug in issue, > then to have the third party developer say it's a database issue, > then to have the database community say it's an RS issue. Anybody > been there? We have - it's frustrating and a huge time-waster. If > something goes wrong with RS/RSSQLS, I have a single point of contact. > > Which is why we selected the REALSQLServer - point and click. Done.
I can appreciate how this can simplify one aspect of your business. On the other hand, its also a lock in to a single vendor. Valentina is extremely popular with RB users, and while it's a "lock in" to our database, its not necessarily a lock in to any one vendor's tools. Its possible to write front ends to Valentina in RB, Director, Revolution, xCode (Cocoa), VB.net, build web apps, and more. Also you can dump data and schema to XML anyway. When it comes to connectivity issues - that is easily solved because the database is our core business and the interface code is not where the magic happens. Its easy enough to identify who the culprit is. If its us, then its going to impact a huge segment of customers are the motivation is high to correct that - especially for we db players that leave the GUI making market alone to concentrate on core database technology. On the other hand, if it's the vendors fault - that brings us back to the lock in problem. And this can be a serious problem when the vendor is not a big market player. The business of creating one platform, let alone a cross-platform tool that creates, compiles and debugs is intensive - one guy can start it, but one guy can rarely keep it going to scale to support a maturing market. Im not saying REAL only has one guy coding REALbasic - they have a stable team there that replaced the one guy who began it all. BUT...for a $500 product, it's a question of how much of the farm is being bet on this product. If a vendor hasn't devoted significant internal resources to a product - for example, 1/3 of the existing internal team in Austin - then its not getting enough investment - especially with an infrastructure product like a database server. I obviously view Openbase as a competing product to Valentina, esp in the Mac and RB oriented marketspace. I do not doubt though that whatever size Scott's team is, its almost 100% devoted to making Openbase a solid product. That is how we operating at Paradigma as well. Another problem with lock in is that once the IDE vendor gets into a server market, they begin to see their previously natural allies as competitors - that is not condusive to solving technical issues. And it sends the wrong message to the third party market that it isnt such a good idea to put all of your eggs into one basket. Something I have come to appreciate after having marketed and sold REALbasic internationally since its first release through last spring, as well as products in other market segments (film, 3D, consumer media, content licensing) is the value of a proactively developed third party community. Comparative to what Im involved in with other vendors, that's not happening with REAL and, the introduction of REALSQL Server without significant investment looks like a grab at mousenuts for marginal revenue at the expense of long term planning and consideration of the nascent third party community that SHOULD be encouraged with significant co-marketing opportunties. RB is a great product but it would be a greater product if that happened. > *We also felt that OpenBase and Valentina offer very good installers > and GUI tools. Thanks :-) Best regards, Lynn Fredricks President Paradigma Software, Inc Joining Worlds of Information Deploy True Client-Server Database Solutions Royalty Free with Valentina Developer Network http://www.paradigmasoft.com _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe or switch delivery mode: <http://www.realsoftware.com/support/listmanager/> Search the archives of this list here: <http://support.realsoftware.com/listarchives/lists.html>
