mark@mrstve.UUCP (Mark Smith) (12/13/85)
I am looking for a multiuser or networked system which can:
o Run very fast!!
o Handle databases with over 5000 records
with little to no change in acces time.
o Able to communicate with AT&T 3B2 with
little to no conversion.
One particular system I have been looking at is the IBM AT. I also
am looking at the Tandy 1200HD which is rumored to between the IBM XT and
the IBM AT speed-wise. If this is true let me know, because the Tandy is
about 2/3 the cost of the IBM computers.
Some software packages I have been looking at are:
o dBASEIII - I am currently trying to use dBASEIII on the
AT&T UnixPC-7300, but dBASEIII is so full of
bugs it can't get the job done. I have also
used dBASEIII on the TANDY (PC version) and
have had excellent results. Anybody have any
recommendations?
o KMAN2 - KMAN is OK if you have the entire package, but does
it stand up to other DBMS packages you can get for
half the price. KMAN seems to cost the most, after
you've bought 5 or 6 different supplements.
o Cornerstone - This is the new one from INFOCOM. I have only
heard good reviews about this package. I just
sent away for the demo disk, but I would be
interested to know if anyone has used this
package yet. How does it stack up to the
other DBMS packages available?
o PC/Focus - This by far is the most impressive software
packages I've seen yet. Purdue University had
this demonstrated in their proto-typing class.
Has anybody used this in the workplace? If so
how is it?
With the set-up that will be used, there will be only 1 (maybe 2) terminals
connected to the computer. Does this constitute a need for a multiuser system?
Will a MULTILink environment serve the same purpose?
If so, will access time be cut down by slicing memory and can a single
dbf file be accessed by multiple users in this environment?
Are there any differences in terminals such as the PC-Shadow, KT-7/PC,
Televideo, etc. The prices seem to vary greatly. The PC-Shadow seems to be
the lowest priced (under $200 each). What is a good compatible terminal to
use with the IBM AT or Tandy?
Any answers to these questions will be greatly appreciated...
--
The WORD for the day is LEGS...
O.K. Girls, Spread the WORD...
Mark Smith
"The Software Wizard"
ihnp4!pur-ee!pur-phy!mrstve!markGhenis.pasa@xerox.arpa (12/17/85)
A) It seems like you are trying to mix MS-DOS and UN*X systems. Wouldn't it be easier to keep it consistent? By the way, there are excellent multi-user DB packages and development environments out there for UN*X (they are not cheap, though) that you could use on your 7300 and 3B2. You can also run Xenix on an AT, 6300+ or Tandy 6000. B) If you want to go multi-user you cannot use a single-user DBMS (or has Cornerstone come out with a multi-user version?) C) Multilink will work for you, but make sure your multi-user DBMS is compatible with it. Fox-base is one such package (I haven't read any reviews of it) In general, if you want multi-user capabilities (as opposed to simple resource sharing) you will have to pay $$$, but if many users must access the database you really have no choice. Multilink is a first step towards lowering cost for such systems, but the DBMSs such as Fox-base are still expensive. Good luck!
rlk@chinet.UUCP (Richard L. Klappal) (12/17/85)
Personally I would try to go with a UN*X machine and either INFORMIX or UNIFY as the data base. Both of them are available as UN*X or MS-DOS data base managers, and both have decent C interface packages (I have never seen a DBM that will do what I want without custom subroutines). Choosing the UN*X hardware will simplify data transfer with the 3B?, but only if the transfer is in ASCII. --- No internal DB format. -- --- UUCP: ..!ihnp4!chinet!uklpl!rlk || MCIMail: rklappal || Compuserve: 74106,1021 ---
vch@rruxo.UUCP (Kerro Panille) (12/21/85)
> I am looking for a multiuser or networked system which can: > > o Run very fast!! > o Handle databases with over 5000 records > with little to no change in acces time. > o Able to communicate with AT&T 3B2 with > little to no conversion. > > One particular system I have been looking at is the IBM AT. I also >am looking at the Tandy 1200HD which is rumored to between the IBM XT and ... > Some software packages I have been looking at are: ... > o PC/Focus - This by far is the most impressive software > packages I've seen yet. Purdue University had > this demonstrated in their proto-typing class. > Has anybody used this in the workplace? If so > how is it? I have had more experience with PC/FOCUS than I care to admit. I found it powerful, yet it didn't live up to the billing that Information Builders,Inc give it. (IBI wrote PC/FOCUS as well as it's companion for IBM mainframes, FOCUS) It is badly documented, technical questions are not answered by IBI at all - they don't even know their own product, ie. you get conflicting answers if you call more than once. Basically, they say it can do something that sounds great, but when you try it, you find out that it can only perform under VERY specific conditions. Hardly useful. Also, it's incredibly slow. At the price of $1500.00, it is NOT WORTH IT. At $200.00 it might be. -- Vince Hatem ---------------- A Bell Communications Research | UZI |----------|_ _ _\/ T Raritan River Software Systems Center | |----------| /\ & 444 Hoes Lane ---------------- ROGER GUTS T 4D-360 / /\ DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' Piscataway, NJ 08854 / / NECKTIES (201) 699-4869 /-----/ ...ihnp4!rruxo!vch TRUE GRIT MYSTERIES - The detective series for those who NEVER eat quiche! (WARNING - MAY BE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBING TO HAMSTER LOVERS)
rjd@faron.UUCP (Robert DeBenedictis) (01/03/86)
I am also looking for a powerful database program and computer system. The computer will probably end up being an IBM AT. We are looking for a stable and reliable development system and good runtime performance. The application will have to handle in the tens of thousands of records. I have used dBase II and looked at Dataflex. Here are some questions I have: - How does dBase III differ from II? - Do programs such as Dataflex or dBase take advantage of additional resources of the AT? - How well does Dataflex work? - Are there other programs out there with similar funcionality at lower cost (I think dataflex costs > $1000). - Do "compiled" applications offer considerably better performance? - What does "multi-user" mean in Dataflex? (Multiple terminals on a single CPU or multi-CPU's with shared disk or something else?) From what I have seen of Dataflex, it seems that it would suit my current needs; however, it would be nice to have the potential to move to a multiuser system in the future without scrapping the entire application. It would also be nice to have some potential for interfacing some of the dbms routines with a high level language. Anyone have any recommendations of systems they have found to be reliable? How about other machine recommendations? Anyone used Omnis III on networked Macs? AT&T 7300? Note: I haven't been reading this group for very long, so if this issue has been addressed recently, I would appreciate just a mailed response or perhaps a pointer to a good magazine article. Thanks.