[Scottish] Do my homework for me please

[Colin.Speirs at scotland.gsi.gov.uk]

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> Woohoo a disclaimer at the top of an Email! It's almost sensible!

Did you notice that it's for the Government? Are you sure you, as a
dedicated Penguinista, want to be seen giving any kind of credence to an
establisment organisation? You'll be saying nice things about IBM next!
 
> > I'm applying for a job supporting an office that has an AS400 
> > file/Database store, PCs using Terminal emulation and Peer to peer 
> > networking. Queries etc are done purely on the client, 
> perhaps using 
> > Excel as the client interface

> > Now they know they have to replace this stuff, and I'm 
> pretty sure a 
> > Linux box with Samba would handle the file storage, and I'd 
> > investigate transferring data to MySQL if possible, with 
> more server 
> > side processing. The data entry interface would have to be 
> looked at, 
> > my usual default for that is web based so hello Apache and 
> some form 
> > of ASP or CGI,
> >
> > But any advice on the networking side?
> >
> ASP ? That's Microsoft talk! 

Yup. ASP is my stock in trade. Done a bit of Perl and CGI but given the
set-up we have here ASP is the choice that means if I die it can still
be supported.

The same argument that led us to replacing a system that used Python.
Not that we didn't appreciate Python, but it has to be supportable and
one man's hobbyist dream don't make good business sense.

>MySQL is probably up to the job 
> (if you implement 
> using tables which support transactions and know how to 
> implement locking 
> properly over an http interface and can work around the lack 
> of subselects) 
> but had you considered DB2 as a half-way house to a 
> completely user-owned 
> system? I earn my daily crust writing PHP/MySQL applications 
> so this is 
> something I should know about - my biggest concern in rolling 
> out a project 
> like this would be the data-input part. IMHO there's 
> (currently) no free 
> RAD/4GL tools which are particularly good at fast turnaround 
> compared with MS 
> Access, Oracle Forms etc. (contact me off list for more info, 
> or if anyone 
> feels different post it here).

Right. Admittedly in my early days of Oracle programming you had to line
input everything but I've kinda got into GUIs for at least the basics. I
still use Arachnophilia for all my web page needs right enough as I
don't like the code Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 produces (or maybe I'm just
too lazy to learn it)

<snip>
> 
> Beyond that...what more do you want to know?
 
For 20 or less machines is peer-to-peer networking adequate? 

If not, then what sort of things would I need to investigate for
creating a "proper" network. (If you assume that I'm ignorant of
networking beyond shoving a few patch cables in holes a few years ago
then you'd be right). Any useful web-pages or info on the basics, esp
what kit would I need and what, roughly, would it cost.

> HTH

It does

Thanks in advance

The other Colin

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