
I am about to replace a DOS based payroll with a Windows(R) based one for a client, to include HR features like leave-management etc. But the payroll runs fine, it can run forever, forever hustle-free!!! I do not wish to sound premedieval, but apps based on DOS used to run so smooth and fast. No mouse, no java, no add-ons, no problems - just TAB and ENTER on dumb terminals/thin clients. I understand there is the major issue of security that has resulted in heavier and heavier apps being created for Windows vs DOS, but OS like Novell and UNIX had serious inbuilt security and apps were not easy to crack, yet all they lacked was beauty; but they did their job! Think of banking systems for example, I believe some old modules still run on mainframes somewhere in the back office(s). Can't we have some developers recreate such apps for the nostalgic, but performance-focused people, finding a way to add security but keeping the fancy look out of the whole process? All we hear is we need faster processors and more memory, but even those extra computing resources are never used for the real work. Stuff like Flash and Java are OK for the aesthetics, but are they really necessary for apps for small one-branch organizations, for example? Everyone* appears to want web-based apps, even when there are <30 users on a well-wired LAN with the server(s) in the next room. Is it just a hype about web-based or are there clear cut advantages? I feel performance is being compromised when other alternatives may exist out there, and it may be time to revisit old ideas? Go back to our roots, if you like. What are your thoughts guys? -- Ngũgĩ Kĩmani | Fundi wa Mitambo | 0772 576846 | http://www.mafundi.co.ke/home