Re: Application Development with PostgreSQL

On Sun, 2003-05-04 at 13:28, Josh Berkus wrote:
[snip]
> The advantage of using Delphi or VB for your interface are the advantages that
> come with a client-side application instead of a web app:
> 1) Interactive & immediate response to user input (no screen reloads).
> 2) Fine-grained formatting options and printer-friendly reporting.
> 3) Two-way session control for user security.

These are important points.

> The disadvantages are:
> 1) Platform dependence (e.g. VB runs only on Windows and Delphi doesn't do
> OSX).
> 2) Plaform version issues and corruption of program binaries by viruses and
> disk corruption on the desktop;

And these are also important issues!

Using Python/Perl/Java (am I missing one?) would mitigate platform
dependence.

> 3) Rollout issues with installing each interface bug fix on each user desktop;
> 4) Secure communications protocol issues with communication btw. the desktop
> clients and the server;
> 5) Speed issues with poorly configured or "sick" desktop machines;

Wouldn't these (especially 3 & 5) be solved by Terminal Services.
#3 would also be partly (or totally, with some care) solved by having
the app residing on a network drive.

> 6) Vastly more cumbersome external access for work-from-home users.

How so?  I'd think that "traditional" C/S would be faster, because
certain "objects" can be intelligently cached by the client, on
start-up, for example.  Don't look-up lists have to be sent across
the wire every time on web pages?

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