Future of access?

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per (PeteCresswell):

but I've been doing unbound forms for so long that

I think I got off on the unbound forms tangent developing for SQL Server back
ends. They seemed to fit more conveniently with the idea of stored procedures
to deliver the data - often via multi-file ADO recordsets so we'd only have one
round-trip to the server to load a screen with, say, seven child tables on it.

 

[lylefair]

Am I wrong in recalling that you had stated here in CDMA that you had
abandoned use of ADO? Perhaps I am also wrong in recalling several who
posted about problems with ADO.

Yes, you are wrong. Perhaps, you are thinking about my posts about ADPs.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Larry Linson:

If you went to unbound forms, why would you bother to use Access -- why not
move on to classic VB?

Now that you mention it, VB was another driving force in my choice. At the
time, I thought that I might as well write this stuff as much like a VB app as
possible just so I can transition myself if VB work comes my way.

Various clients wanted MS Access because of:

1) The notion that they could take over maintainence of the app once I was done.
Fallacious, IMHO - but that was their perception.

2) It's reputation for fast turnaround/delievery.

3) Back in the End User Support days, MS Access was a sort of "official" tool
for end-user projects - as opposed to VB.



Personally, if a client wants cheap and fast I'd still use Access because the
one trial project I did both ways took three times the hours to do in VB as it
did in Access - and the analysis had already been done. Others who have
probably forgotten more than I'll ever know have said the factor is more like
five or six.

The querybuilder, reports, text boxes with the attached labels that follow them
around, subforms, ComboBoxes' AfterUpdate().... and so-forth.
Little things that add up manhourwise.

Finally, because Access what I do. They could probably find a more skilled VB
developer for less dollars per hour.

 

[Tony Toews]

My theory is that unbound forms help to make the app more bulletproof.

Instead of somebody sitting on a record - and maybe turning off their PC or
something, the app just hits the DB for a fraction of a second to populate the
form and then it's out of the back end.

Whereas I've been on site at one client for at least three or four
power failures and they've never had a corruption. I'm sure at least
four or six users were in adding or editing a record each time the
power went out.

Note that the switches and servers were on UPS..

I'm much more concerned with that millisecond of time when they do the
update. And there's no real difference between bound and unbound
forms for that time duration.

For me they also facilitate "Browse" and "Edit" modes with "Save" and "Cancel"
by enabling the programmer to do quite a bit more cross-checking/validating
before anything goes out to the back end.

Yeah but that's not a bid deal to me.

Maybe this is all BS - but I've been doing unbound forms for so long that
they're second nature (i.e. quick and easy to clone...) whereas every time I've
tried reverting to bound forms the users have come up with a requirement that
broke my little scheme. OTOH, maybe I just haven't developed the skill set
needed to deal with some of those situations in bound forms...

<smile> Or maybe you just think sideways too much.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

 

[aaron.kempf]

Microsoft is on CRACK.

Access rocks.

They sit around and try to sell us all on a language that is TWICE as
hard to develop in-- but it gives us 5% better performance.

I mean-- I DONT NEED BETTER PERFORMANCE MICROSOFT I NEED YOU TO FUCKING
FIX BUGS IN YOUR CURRENT PRODUCTS

pos company

 

[aaron.kempf]

you're crazy .NET is TEN TIMES MORE DIFFICULT AND SLOWER TO DEVELOP
WITH

take your MVP and shove it babe

you work for the devil? sure sounds like you do

 

[aaron.kempf]

Access is the best reporting platform in the world and Microsoft isn't
taking it seriously.

I call for the resignation of every Microsoft executive in charge of
Access
you have been smoking crack and selling 'smoke and mirrors' instead of
doing your job

fix your bugs microsoft

 

[aaron.kempf]

..net does have a place.

..net is best written using MACROMEDIA DREAMWEAVER.

Microsoft can't write a decent IDE anymore.. they're on crack