From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2011-02-11T23:10:04+09:00
Subject: Re: Totally lost in learning Ruby

On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 9:15 AM, Mike Stephens <rubfor@recitel.net> wrote:
> Hilary Bailey wrote in post #981001:
>> So Mike,
>> Since a database seems to be the bulk on the creation of a my intended
>> Ed web application/software, should I consider the SQLs or just use the
>> LibreOffice Base along with its Spreadsheet.
>
> I think what the essence of your application is, is to get people to
> submit various data, and then you want to aggregate that to a) detect
> correlations and b) measure individuals/groups against all or some other
> individuals or groups.
>
> This is the bread-and-butter of corporate life and the Sofware King in
> this domain is Excel, or perhaps The Software Capo di tutti Capi.
>
> They don't use Java. They don't use C#, and they certainly don't use
> Ruby.

That might be true for analysis...

> The great thing about Excel (or OpenOffice) is that everyone knows how
> to use it. If not, they can ask the person sitting next to them.

Unfortunately many Excel sheets look exactly like that: people who
think they know how to use spreadsheets create amazingly complex
things that could be made much simpler and break at the first change.
I am constantly amazed at how many people build macros into their
sheets for things that can be solved with cell functions - which I
believe is the primary tool for in Excel and the like.

> To be honest, it's not really a database problem. Obviously a database
> can play a part but you are not maintaining complex relationships and
> business rules. You are looking for patterns.

... but having several people entering data into a single Excel sheet
(or even worse: several Excel sheets) is a nightmare right from the
start.

> I am developing multi-million international web sites. They are written
> by a team of highly trained .NET programmers. There's not a spreadsheet
> to be seen in the applications but underneath, that's where at least
> some of the data came from originally.
>
> So I guess Step 1 is to build your model in an office suite. It would be
> quite ambitious to just launch something without prototyping the model.

Getting a clear idea of the model is certainly reasonable.  But to get
that one needs at least moderate understanding of data modeling, how
those models are represented (UML is still no subject in schools, I
guess) and how they are built to satisfy various criteria.  I think
for someone not knowledgeable in IT some basic training must come
first.  Without that chances are that what is prototyped in Excel or
any other tool with nice graphical user interface won't work properly.

> Unfortunately I doubt it's easy to 'publish' your app either as a GUI or
> Web product. You'd need to start again. Which brings us back to
> something like Rails, an app generator like Mendix, or going on the
> Internet and getting somebody to write it for you in India.
>
> I wouldn't be on this channel if I didn't think Ruby was as easy as
> other full-strength platforms to do a proper web site. My obsession in
> life is to do the least possible in any context.
>
> I'll give you an analogy - I think you're wanting to go on holiday to
> Hawaii but assuming you first need to become a trained commercial pilot.
> Consider letting someone/something else do the delivery, leaving you to
> plan the content.

Until now it was never mentioned that there is actually a team or that
"someone else" you mentioned.  So at least for the moment it seems
this is not an option.

Cheers

robert



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