shevett@mccc.uucp (dave shevett) (08/02/90)
A modest but important question to the world in general: My company has written several *LARGE* (50k+ lines each) applications in FoxBase for PC's. We're currently working on converting them (what little has to be done) to run under FoxPro v1.02. We're very happy with the system, and FoxPro is a wonder, BUT... we need... more. We'd like to start looking at a client-server type of setup where our customers (about 150 onsite installations) link to our mini/micro/thingamajig here in the office, and we do the grunt database work here, and they get the happy reports/pretty screens, etc. What we need: 1 - Fairly easy conversion of our FoxBase code over to the new app. Re-writing all the code is impossible (there's only 3 programmers, and we're up to our ears as it is). 2 - Full-time access to the system from the remote terminals. This is where I'm stumped. Sure, we could use FORCE or whatever to run on system X in the office, but how the hell am I going to get the 150-200 terminals in the field linked to the thing cost effectively? 200 T1 lines? 3 - Performance. We're spoiled by FoxBase and FoxPro. It's a VERY fast and forgiving system. If we have 200 some-odd connections into the office, the system still has to snap to attention when you hit ENTER. 4 - Pricing - We're not scared about costs, and the customers aren't either. We currently charge a couple grand a year maintenance costs to maintain their software from the office (we use Carbon Copy - great tool). Ok? So what do I do? Should I install a Xenix system, load up FoxBase 2.1.1, get a couple DigiBoards, and start installing Telebits? This seems like kind of a clunky way to do it. We'd like to be able to go somewhere with our user interface (I know using a mouse starts bringing up that word 'Workstation'). I leave it in the capable hands of the net. Any pointers? /-------------------+ +----------------------\ | Dave Shevett | "The shortest distance | Labyrinth II BBS | | W. Trenton, NJ | between two puns is a | (609) 584-8773 | | shevett@mccc.UUCP | straight line..." | 12/24/19200 - 24hrs | \-------------------+ - Doc Webster +----------------------/
a_dent@vaxa.cc.uwa.oz.au (08/04/90)
In article <1990Aug1.183716.5859@mccc.uucp>, shevett@mccc.uucp (dave shevett) writes: > A modest but important question to the world in general: > > My company has written several *LARGE* (50k+ lines each) applications in > FoxBase for PC's. We're currently working on converting them (what little > has to be done) to run under FoxPro v1.02. We're very happy with the > system, and FoxPro is a wonder, BUT... we need... more. > > We'd like to start looking at a client-server type of setup where our > customers (about 150 onsite installations) link to our > mini/micro/thingamajig here in the office, and we do the grunt database > work here, and they get the happy reports/pretty screens, etc. Just a suggestion, why abandon FoxPro?? If you can get some sort of network connection between your customers and your server, so they see files on the server, then you can just rewrite your code slightly so the files live on the server and all that happens on the client machine is the interface. I don't know enough about PC networks to say if you can have such a (dial-up?) network but the advantage of a network approach is minimal bandwidth as the only thing going over the network would be records, not full screen information. For people who just want dumb terminals, you could setup local PC's on the net and have the customer dial in to these PC's. This would give a good growth pattern for adding hardware increments and you could plan to get a little fancier with your software and have multiple copies of the databases, running on several server PC's. Note that this approach also gives clients a chance to use Macintosh workstations as you could easily port the front-end to FoxBASE+/Mac, and I *KNOW* that Mac networks can be linked remotely. I'd think you could put together a pilot project for this with only a small amount of development, another attraction for selling the idea to management. > > /-------------------+ +----------------------\ > | Dave Shevett | "The shortest distance | Labyrinth II BBS | > | W. Trenton, NJ | between two puns is a | (609) 584-8773 | > | shevett@mccc.UUCP | straight line..." | 12/24/19200 - 24hrs | > \-------------------+ - Doc Webster +----------------------/ Andy Dent A.D. Software phone 09 249 2719 Mac & VAX programmer 94 Bermuda Dve, Ballajura a_dent@vaxa.uwa.oz Western Australia 6066