As an MCP, I have to put in a word for MS Visual Studio .NET. You have a choice of languages, designed-in access to SQL Server, and the framework is designed from the get-go to enable creating Web services, which will allow you to write an application which can be both an n-tier desktop app and a Web-enabled app. Just my $0.02...
That said, I think that I should bring up something that doesn't seem to have been addressed as yet: legal constraints. I do not know the laws of South Africa in this regard, but writing such an application here in the States requires careful consideration of and compliance with two pretty significant, and possibly bad-nasty acronyms--SOX and HIPAA. That is, Sarbanes-Oxley and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Applications meant to operate in the environment for which this application appears to be targeted must meet some pretty stringent, and quite complicated, requirements for compliance with these acts. There is, indeed, an entire industry built around bringing existing systems into compliance as required by law. Google on either and you will see what I mean. Again, I don't know if there are parallels in South Africa, but I do think that it is something which you should investigate and determine before considering what tool to use or how you plan to structure your system. FWIW, I'm an MCP with decades of programming experience in multiple languages, and I don't think I would want to try to tackle this alone. A system like this cries out for a business analyst, requirements analyst, database administrator, and system architect, as well as a quality control and testing team. All of that besides the developer(s), of course. It is possible for one person to play all of those roles for small-to-medium applications, but be aware that from the description of it you're talking about a significant application here, and at different times *someone* is going to have to fulfill each of those roles. Working alone, you will also have to be your own business agent, negotiator, and project manager. How many hats have you got? Have fun! ;-) Cheers, Scott P.S. Keep in mind that this will be a *very* data-intensive application. How up are you on SQL, data normalization, etc.? ____ � The WDVL Discussion List from WDVL.COM � ____ To Join wdvltalk, Send An Email To: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or use the web interface http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ Send Your Posts To: [email protected] To change subscription settings, add a password or view the web interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=wdvltalk ________________ http://www.wdvl.com _______________________ You are currently subscribed to wdvltalk as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with.
