GUI Front End - refined details

[Ken Cole]

Rick,

I read the original thread and the comments below and have the following to add.

The only way to over come 80 char screens with FP as the back end is
to go browser based.  This then works directly in with the long term
objectives.  I have been doing filepro for 20+ years now, like you,
and web based filepro for over 7 years.

At my current location, via an intranet across Asia, and several
customer facing applications we get well over 10000 hits a day on
solely filePro apps that are web based, including a very detailed CRM
program that is also linked into our VoIP phone system so a page about
the customer or supplier auto loads as the phone rings, based on
Caller ID, so the user has everything they need to know about the
customer/supplier at their finger tips by the time they have said
hello and finished the small talk.  These apps use an extensive amount
of what is now called AJAX and was written before AJAX was an acronym.

If written correctly and you use CSS it is very easy to change the
look and feel in minutes.  In the last twelve months we were bought
out and when it came to "re-branding" the app to fit the new companies
brand policies and be audited by the "brand police" we literally had
to change one file and the entire app of 100's of web pages was
rebranded with a new look and feel within a very short period.

We use called sub routines extensively so code is written once and once only.

We have one web app restricted to a specific list of customers that
combined with one staff member turns of millions of dollars a year
alone and it is just one of many of our filePro based web apps.

Since fpGI doesn't do it for you, and I agree why it doesn't, and
Reface doesn't support Windows ( I can give a big recommendation to
Dave Stauble and Reface here as we have started to use it and for non
web based apps and it is just fantastic ) I think web apps is the way
to go especially if used extensively with AJAX methodologies.

And if you ask which CGI app to use I would say OneGate.  I don't use
OneGate, we have our own CGI program, but I know it has many
"features" in it that Mark has picked up from work he has done with us
over the years and he has then taken those ideas and added them to
OneGate with all the great security and configuration capabilities he
has put into OneGate.

Hope this helps.

Ken

On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 1:33 AM, Richard Hane <yoresoft at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> First, let me thank Rich, Mark, Bruce and others who commened on the
> original thread.
>
> Let me comment on the a cople of items in the responses and the after refine
> what we and I are doing. Sound strange but I'll exlain the differnce between
> we and I.
>
> Comments...
> 1. Our system is and will remain Windows.  When I said we could include *nix
> systems, I meant for the purposes of the discussion.
> 2. Realizing the above Reface is not an option for us as they are *nix based
> or at least where the last time I checked.  But I do agree nice program! ***
> fpTech are you listening! *** ; I go more in to that comment later.
> 3.   GUI is what is important, not the web.  I agree it would be nice but
> that would not happen for 3 - 5 years.  Anyone want to guess what will be
> available by then or what the web will be like? So security is not critical.
>
> Refinements...
> Without going into too much detail I have three projects. As some of you are
> aware, I have been using fp is various forms since profile II on a RS Modl
> II with the 8 inch bay drives. That started in the early 80s at Radio Shack
> Computer Centers, then I owned my own company Yore Software for 13 years and
> the 9 years ago received the "offer I couldn't refuse" from my oldest
> customer (Deluxe Stitcher) to join them. I will be retiring from them in 6
> years.
>
> OK enough with history! Two of the projects are for Deluxe and one is for my
> (Yore) software.  At Deluxe we still use the plant managerment and
> scheduling software I wrote over 15 yrs ago in fp.  Even our high priced MRP
> software has not replaced it.  We need to expand to do visual shop floor /
> work order schedulng processes to make them more dynamic. filePro's 80 chr
> screen is a major PINA.  Also drag and drop movement of work orders, machine
> loading, routing changes would be major improvement.
>
> The second project is one of those "it would be great if you could do this
> sometime" requests. I am sure you have heard of or may even use CRM programs
> like ACT! or Goldmine.  The concept of these programs are great but our
> written so tightly (some would argue poorly) that you are extrememly limited
> in what you can do outside what comes in the box. (see the recent settled
> law suit against ACT).  Writing a complete, fast & full feature CRM program
> in filePro would be a breeze; however once again the 80 chr screen is a
> problem.  One of the major drawbacks to ACT! is the extremely small amount
> of custom reports you can do.  I would add the report writer I wrote in fp
> 10 yrs ago to the CRM and all would be wonderful.  I might even get th
> office staff to like me even though they all report to me.
>
> Finally, I mention the above plant scheduling above as well as my upcoming
> retirement in 6 years.  Several of you over the past 9 yrs have asked me if
> I would ever sell my mfg software. I have up to now declined; however, when
> I retire I may do this but to developers NOT end users.  This is an over 20
> module program from estimating, o/e, purchasing, plant mgt, inventory mgt,
> job costing and all the accounting modules.  To bring this program in to the
> GUI 2000s will take several yrs.  This means I woul have to start soon for
> the retirement yrs.
>
> OK, a short RANT to fpTech....
> Where is your GUI front end.  For years people have been asking this.  It is
> obvious that this would greatly increase sales / profits.  Isn't that what
> you are in business for?  You can see the excitement when someone introduces
> a product like Reface.  I don't want to steal the sales bt really in the
> last 10 yrs have you even looked at this.  And please don't wave fileProGUI,
> it is a best a stop gap until you got the real program released.  What could
> your resources have been used for with a better ROI than this?  biometrics,
> please! And imagine if this new front end, program (whatever) was useable
> over the internet.  I really love filepro but I have to say I just don't
> understand you business plan!
> RANT over
>
> Thank you,
> Rick Hane
> Controller
> Deluxe Stitcher Company
> www.deluxestitcher.com
> 773-777-6500
>
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