Hey -- --

A long-time client (25 years!) called me up last week. Looking to update an

application I first wrote in FoxBase+ Mac. It ran on Mac & DOS together,

then Windows. I haven't touched it since converting it to VFP -- a long

time ago -- maybe VPF 5 or 6 (Gosh I'm having a hard time remembering which

was the first really stable release). They love what I did for them. It has

run *so* long, trouble-free. I can't believe how long they have been using

it.

They contacted me last week. Time for a rewrite. Naturally I'd like to do

it, and I certainly could use the business.

Well, the company has grown up, now Oracle and MS-SQL are the standard data

stores. I haven't "done" MS-SQL since moving to open source stuff. I think

the last version I had was -- (oh, crap, I just looked it up) -- 2000. I've

already downloaded "2012 Express" and am looking to play a bit with it this

week.

I suspect it will stay a desktop app, maybe with an extremely limited

public web component. This all just has to do with the nature of the

application and the demographics of the audience. I'll meet with them next

week. It doesn't sound like they will specify a front-end. I'm thinking

Python if it stays a desktop app.

Your opinions, please:

1. If they insist on Oracle, am I dead in the water? I've never touched it.

Cavalierly, I think it is just a SQL data base, and the data objects

undoubtedly exist to do basic data manipulation. But I know there is a ton

of admin -- I assume their DB admins can take care of this (?)

2. Ditto MS-SQL, given that I haven't touched it in 12-13 years?

3. If Python, is Dabo worth messing with? I played with it for a couple of

weeks when "the boys" were hard at work developing it, but that also has

been a long time ago. Ed, Paul? I looked at the Dabo-users archive and

there is activity.

Ken

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> Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2014 17:28:57 -0600

> Subject: Conversions & Data Stores & Dinosaurs, Oh My!

> 1. If they insist on Oracle, am I dead in the water? I've never touched it.

> Cavalierly, I think it is just a SQL data base, and the data objects

> undoubtedly exist to do basic data manipulation. But I know there is a ton

> of admin -- I assume their DB admins can take care of this (?)

This is the only part I have experience with. One of my clients replaced my VFP system with a heavy-duty vertical market app using Oracle databases, to the tune of some 3 million $! The app worked OK, but getting the reports they were used to turned out to be a challenge, so I was tasked with producing the VFP Monthly Business Summary from Oracle data.

I copied the connection stuff from the Crystal Reports interface they had provided, wrote a great big SQL Select, with lots of joins, and son-of-a-gun, it all worked. Had one panic when it took 3 hours to run, because the DB Admin decided to change the index tags. I fixed it by changing my strategy. You definitely want to off-load the DBA chores to their Oracle folks, but the data part was fine.

Dan Covill

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On Feb 4, 2014, at 5:28 PM, Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) <foxhelp@information-architecture.com> wrote:

> 3. If Python, is Dabo worth messing with? I played with it for a couple of

> weeks when "the boys" were hard at work developing it, but that also has

> been a long time ago. Ed, Paul? I looked at the Dabo-users archive and

> there is activity.

Sure - in fact, it would be nice to have someone with access to an Oracle database to help us finally get the Oracle DB adapter finished.

-- Ed Leafe

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On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 5:28 PM, Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) <

foxhelp@information-architecture.com> wrote:

> Hey -- --

>

> A long-time client (25 years!) called me up last week. Looking to update an

> application I first wrote in FoxBase+ Mac. It ran on Mac & DOS together,

> then Windows. I haven't touched it since converting it to VFP -- a long

> time ago -- maybe VPF 5 or 6 (Gosh I'm having a hard time remembering which

> was the first really stable release). They love what I did for them. It has

> run *so* long, trouble-free. I can't believe how long they have been using

> it.

>

> They contacted me last week. Time for a rewrite. Naturally I'd like to do

> it, and I certainly could use the business.

>

> Well, the company has grown up, now Oracle and MS-SQL are the standard data

> stores. I haven't "done" MS-SQL since moving to open source stuff. I think

> the last version I had was -- (oh, crap, I just looked it up) -- 2000. I've

> already downloaded "2012 Express" and am looking to play a bit with it this

> week.

>

> I suspect it will stay a desktop app, maybe with an extremely limited

> public web component. This all just has to do with the nature of the

> application and the demographics of the audience. I'll meet with them next

> week. It doesn't sound like they will specify a front-end. I'm thinking

> Python if it stays a desktop app.

>

> --------------------------------

Its a rewrite with a new back-end. What is your current front end that you

work with today? I would just design the new site to follow all the

appropriate rules and flows that pertain.

PHP or java or ??? Just do it. It is easy to take your existing code base

and fit a lot of that functionality into the new base.

--

Stephen Russell

Sr. Analyst

Ring Container Technology

Oakland TN

901.246-0159 cell

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> Its a rewrite with a new back-end. What is your current front end that

you work with today?

PHP, mostly, but I think they will want a more sophisticated set of

controls than a web app.

> PHP or java or ??? Just do it. It is easy to take your existing code base

> and fit a lot of that functionality into the new base.

I think a lot of what they will want is stuff that we couldn't do (in any

practical way) 20 years ago, like pull the customer from their master DB

and likely interface with the corporate billing system.

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On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 6:32 PM, Ed Leafe <ed.leafe@rackspace.com> wrote:

> Sure - in fact, it would be nice to have someone with access to an Oracle

> database to help us finally get the Oracle DB adapter finished.

>

Neat -- as I said in my post to __stephen -- very likely we would interface

with an Oracle DB, whether this one lives there or not.

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On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 9:13 PM, Ken Kixmoeller <ken@kixmoeller.com> wrote:

>

>

> I think a lot of what they will want is stuff that we couldn't do (in any

> practical way) 20 years ago, like pull the customer from their master DB

> and likely interface with the corporate billing system.

>

> - <http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free>-----------

>

Sounds like a Web app opportunity. I am looking at the bootstrap framework

for projects at work where the users can be using tablet, phone or PC and

it all lays out fitting the nature of the device.

Menu across the top in your typical PC app will unfold on your phone.

--

Stephen Russell

Sr. Analyst

Ring Container Technology

Oakland TN

901.246-0159 cell

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For starters why not re-compile in VFP 9 and convert the backend to

Oracle/SQL Server/MySQL/etc. then see what they think. A small web app

could access the same data independently.

> On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 5:28 PM, Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) <

> foxhelp@information-architecture.com> wrote:

>

>> Hey -- --

>>

>> A long-time client (25 years!) called me up last week. Looking to update an

>> application I first wrote in FoxBase+ Mac. It ran on Mac & DOS together,

>> then Windows. I haven't touched it since converting it to VFP -- a long

>> time ago -- maybe VPF 5 or 6 (Gosh I'm having a hard time remembering which

>> was the first really stable release). They love what I did for them. It has

>> run *so* long, trouble-free. I can't believe how long they have been using

>> it.

>>

>> They contacted me last week. Time for a rewrite. Naturally I'd like to do

>> it, and I certainly could use the business.

>>

>> Well, the company has grown up, now Oracle and MS-SQL are the standard data

>> stores. I haven't "done" MS-SQL since moving to open source stuff. I think

>> the last version I had was -- (oh, crap, I just looked it up) -- 2000. I've

>> already downloaded "2012 Express" and am looking to play a bit with it this

>> week.

>>

<snip>

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I wouldn't charge down the web app route unless it's a good fit - just

limit that side to front ends to various functionality if required. You

will spend an eternity trying to replicate a rich UI that works in all

the browsers. Web dev is still a complicated mess compared to desktop

apps.

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I hope some time in the future that there would a tool like Visual

Foxpro that enable us to write web apps easily! Maybe a code

generator, or maybe something like Dabo.

On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 5:49 PM, Alan Bourke <alanpbourke@fastmail.fm> wrote:

> I wouldn't charge down the web app route unless it's a good fit - just

> limit that side to front ends to various functionality if required. You

> will spend an eternity trying to replicate a rich UI that works in all

> the browsers. Web dev is still a complicated mess compared to desktop

> apps.

--

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^ ^ May the Force and farces be with you!

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