From: Everett L Williams II <rett@...>
Date: 2011-02-08T22:06:19+09:00
Subject: Re: Choosing an office suite

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Mike Stephens wrote:
> Hilary Bailey wrote in post #980168:
>    
>> What I want to create is a database that can measure the performance of
>> all entities in a school district.
>>      
> Your question is interesting because unlike almost all others on this
> forum, you have no real committment to Ruby. You're just looking for the
> easiest route to solving your problem.
>
> As a result it rather depends precisely what your problem is.
>
> A database cannot measure performance. You might mean you would like to
> capture something like grade performance and then analyse that by
> teacher, course, school, curriculum, student entry grading - various
> things like that.
>
> The issue is do you want to do that yourself, sell a package that other
> groups could use, or set up a web site that offers a central service?
>
> These involve very different challenges and skill requirements.
>
> By the way Access is brilliant - I've never seen another database come
> close. I understand Bill Gates had a soft spot for it. It's a half
> decent relational database (Jet) but more than that it is a Query By
> Example environment. After that it does reports and forms etc.
>
> Access (like Excel) is a functional programming environment. Personally
> I think it is easier to pick these up than OO platforms like Ruby.
>
> However, Access (like Excel) is no good for Web deployment simply
> because
> Microsoft went off down the geeky .NET and Sharepoint routes and left
> simple folk high-and-dry.
>
> Bear in mind Phillip's remarks about Mendix are without any knowledge of
> it.
>
>    
You must be kidding...Access has holes in it that large trucks can be 
driven through, and the "Jet" engine must have flamed out in a 
rainstrom, because performance outside of single user setups is dismal. 
It also does not have referential integrity nor secure record locking. 
The problem is that if you use the integrated tools to build a product 
or service, when you try to scale it, you basically have to start over. 
If you use external methods to use it, the problem is less, but with 
what is available for free out there in the SQL world, not to mention a 
few other relational DB's that can scale, why would you use Access. Ugh.

If you just must spend money on a package deal, then go buy a copy of 
Alpha 5, which can create both local and web apps and has a really nice 
IDE. If you like rolling your own, then Ruby of one form or another plus 
a free DB can be yours for nothing plus however much you want to spend 
on doc, but avoid Access for anything but one-off, single user apps for 
personal use.

Everett L(Rett) Williams II

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