Antiquated Software

[Jay R. Ashworth]

On Wed, Jan 18, 2006 at 08:45:25PM -0500, GCC Consulting wrote:
> Salesmen at my biggest client are calling my database system "antiquated".
> It is a very nice suite of integrated databases, and we work very smoothly.
>  
> I suspect his "antiquated" comments are due to the fact that we are
> character based.  All of us that actually do the entry and upkeep do not
> want a GUI interface, but I'm starting to think that perhaps I should have
> the sales folks in the GUI mode. 

Remind them that Allied Van Lines and the reservation systems of all
the major airlines are also character based; there is clearly a moral
there.

> mousies?  And will they still see my programs as "antiquated"?

Since there's no way to know, and since their judgement call about it
does not speak to how well it works now, how less well it will work
then, or how much it will cost, you can't make *any* moves until you
sit them down and find out precisely what they call "antiquated", and
compose your counter-arguments.

When you're pumping them, sit on your hands: don't counter *anything*
then; save it all up for one grand "this is why we are the way we are"
meeting.

> Just a point, one of my clients has 4 order entry clerks who enter orders
> from preprinted order forms.  Each order can consist of one to 300 line
> items.  On average the orders are about 100 line items.  Each clerk enters
> between 150 and 250 orders a day.  
> 
> All data entry is numeric.  In addition to entering the order, they must
> print out the associated bar code labels and address labels for each of
> their orders.  
> 
> These clerks can't afford the time to move their hand away from the numeric
> keypad.  A GUI would slow them down too much.

You're correct.

> I have linked the UPS shipping program to the order system.  When an order
> is accessed, if it has been shipped by UPS, the tracking # is there.
> Pressing <I> passes the information to IE, using a system call, and loads
> the UPS page with the tracking information. 

Spiffy. :-)

> I have another client whose partners were used to ODBC (read SQL) databases.
> They questioned filePro.
> 
> Once they saw the speed with which programs could be written and/or modified
> they were impressed.

Good.

> I a discussion, they asked me if I could present the 12 questions they were
> using I a questionnaires) that was answered.  They walked out of the room
> and when they returned 15 minutes later, I had the request up an running.
> 
> Their response, you did that in 15 minutes?  We thought it would take at
> least a month or more.  That's what they are accustomed to with the "modern"
> GUI front ends.

<chuckle>

Though not all GUI app builders are that slow.

> If all those salesmen need to do is access static information, Give it to
> them as an HTML document.
> 
> If the need to query the database, add FPSQL and let the create their own
> queries.  Not GUI but "modern".
> 
> By the way, fpsql has been available since 1988.

Indeed it has.

My knee, at least, is not jerking.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra at baylink.com
Designer                          Baylink                             RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates        The Things I Think                        '87 e24
St Petersburg FL USA      http://baylink.pitas.com             +1 727 647 1274

	A: No.
	Q: Should I include quotations after my message body?