Antiquated Software

[Lerebours, Jose]

Richard Kreiss posted:

> 
> One of the major software packages is from Lawson.  The have 
> developed a
> hospital financial system which included an add in module for 
> Materials
> Management. 
> 
> When the system was implemented at her last hospital, the 
> accounts payable
> clerk started to cry.  Why,  it was taking him 3 days to 
> process what on the
> old antiquated system one day to do.  The hospital, for the 
> first time,
> started to be late in paying bills.
> 

This does not say that the tools they used were did not offer
the capability but rather, the developers did not develop a 
good application.  I have seen applications written in filePro
that would make any grown man cry   8-)

Imagine this, dozen of tables most with over 700 fields each
with 10s of 1000s of records ... imagine ...

> The could not get EDI up and running with their vendors.
> 

Again, this says nothing about the development tool of choice.
The best tools are useless in the hands of a person who does not
know what to do with them ...  

> So, have the latest and "greatest" does not mean that one has the best
> software to get the job done.  

Well, is this the actual "latest and greatest" or just "claimed to be"?

If it is the "latest and greatest" I would say it should be the best
software to get the job done.

> 
> Anyone who purchases a computer system because it "looks 
> great" is just plain dumb.

There is an incredible number of dumb people out there - Lots of these
dumb people are running successful businesses and helping move the world's
economic forward (and technology as well).

> 
> The programming language/database one uses has to get a job done.  And
> filePro is a tool.  Just like any professional, one has to 
> use the correct
> tools for the job at hand.  In all actuality, the is no one 
> PERFECT tool.
> You can select a one size fits all programming suite and write good
> programs,  Or you can select those tools that will better 
> accomplish your
> goal.
> 

I think this has been the original poster argument all alone - Except that
in his view, filePro does not fit today's nor future development expectations.

He also asked for simple direction as to where is filePro headed and he's
got no answers ... He also added that if filePro were to have two simple
modifications, those two things alone would keep filePro in the run for a 
while (if only for a while).

> filePro is the major tool many of work with.  But, as needed, 
> we can select
> other tools to help use offer easy to use solutions to our 
> clients needs.
> 
> None of my clients cares or understands what programming 
> language I use.
> All they want to know is, "does it do the job?".  In the end, 
> that's the
> most important thing, isn't it?
> 

Not really.  Gluing a bunch of picture in a row does not make it
a motion film.  In the end, you can follow the idea and reach the
same conclusion, but it is not the same.  

On your previous paragraph you say that people that buy systems
because they look great are dumb. Then follow it up by saying
that your clients "do not care" what you use and how you do it
so long as you get the job done.  Isn't this dumb?

What ever happen to business forecast?  Do they not care what
would happen if ???  Say you are no longer around, who then takes
care of them and their mixture of tools to get one thing done?

We all have found ourselves in a site where we wonder "How in
the world is this working?".  I am sure you have replaced systems
because you've found them to be "antiquated" and installed filePro
and the rest of your supporting tools ... why?  Because this is 
your comfort zone.

Why use a suite of tools from different vendors when you could
use one and get the job done as well?

> One thing my clients like is the speed at which I can add new 
> functionality
> to their applications.   I can make screen changes or modify 
> reports and
> forms in minutes not hours or days.  
> 

This is the very same comment every one uses to justify the ever
ending argument as to why filePro is the best tool around

"it is easy and fast to develop with"

Well, I always said that this is the very reason of its demise.
If filePro had taken the path of moving with the times and keeping
up with technology, we would not be having this conversation.  We
have been too preoccupied with keeping it easy.  I wish congress
took the same approach when writing new laws ...

I wish I knew VFP as well as I know filePro.  I can assure you that
if you know what you're doing, you can get the job done as fast and
some times faster.

> I was able to develop a call center app for one of my clients 
> in 2 days.  We
> have since modified it further to make it easier to use.  The 
> caller just
> has to press a key to have all of the necessary response information
> entered.  They can give each caller separate data sets to use 
> or have them
> use the same data set but different parts for the alphabet.  
> The call center
> is using terminal server to access the data on my client 
> system.  The owner
> of the call center like the system and is considering getting for his
> internal use.
> 
> One of the partners has used wireless access thru Sprint, 
> using terminal
> server to access the system while on the road.  He was 
> surprised to find
> that the speed was almost as fast as if he was wired in.  He 
> told me he
> could not do this with the GUI database he was previously 
> using at another
> company.  The response was too slow.
> 
> So much for the antiquated, non GUI interface.
> 

Again, this says nothing about the GUI interfaces but the lack
of development skills employed by those whom developed the
application in question.

Funny, you depend on the very technology you so much appear to
dislike.  Take away GUI and your wireless connection will be
non-existent or a pain to deal with.  Take away GUI and your
terminal services goes with it.


I have seen filePro at work and I have seen GUI applications
at work.  I can tell you that filePro does not beat GUI applications
in the game of "speed" every time up.  Heck, I have ran SQL
queries to retrieve 1000s of records from several million records
filtering based on multiple criteria and returning a table set
from multiple tables almost as fast as I can press ENTER.  filePro
in the other hand, required writing multiple programs to write data
to a repository and then eventfully print report from this file.  
Antiquated?  I do not know, you tell me.

filePro is great - no argument about that, but filePro is not as 
great as others and it has fallen short in keeping up with new
trends and needs in today's market.

Regards;



Jose Lerebours