[AccessD] Poll on Access 2007

Sun Jun 28 11:51:04 CDT 2009

Steve,

Give it a fair go?  Hmm... I have work to do.  Do you mean spend the weeks required to figure out 
how to do what I can do without even thinking (it's called muscle memory) with the previous version?

Well, like I said, I have real work to do.  I am a sole proprietor, I earn all of the money for my 
house, if I don't do real work my kids don't eat.  I do not want to spend the time to completely 
relearn Access because some twit decided that I just need to do that and too bad for me.

What would you tell GM if they tried to sell you a Camaro with the accelerator as as a joystick in 
the center console, the brake a pushbutton on the console, the lights as a knee switch, the 
windshield wipers as ... well you get the picture (I HOPE!  Hmmm... maybe not?)  THAT is precisely 
what Access has done to the PROGRAMMER INTERFACE with Access 2007.

The POINT is that for 15 years Microsoft has given us Access, with all of the hot keys, all of the 
menu items, all of the database tabs.  We learned that, we memorized that, we programmed it to 
muscle memory.  Suddenly, for no reason other than some nebulous "sharepoint server will make it all 
better" crapola, it changes.

WHY?  You steadfastly refuse to answer that Steve.  WHY?  What is the POINT of moving everything 
around?  I want YOUR ANSWER STEVE, WHY MOVE THE WORLD AROUND and refuse to allow the programmer to 
get his environment back?  And don't EVEN try to feed me some nebulous "sharepoint will make it all 
better" crap!

The POINT is that they are doing the same thing to the interfaces of all the other Office 
applications, which are by and large USER APPLICATIONS in their own right.  It makes sense for those 
apps, IF this new ribbon stuff actually improves productivity (and I will take a pass on commenting 
on that).  The POINT is that they want Access to look pretty like Word and Excel.  Well whoopty 
frickin doo!  So now we have a pretty Access.  Which I promptly have to turn off to get the ACTUAL 
APPLICATION to fit on the screen again.  HMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

But Access is decidedly NOT an office USER APPLICATION.  Ask a "USER" what 3rd normal form is and 
enjoy the deer in the headlights look you get back.  Ask the "USER" what a PK is, a FK is, an ADO 
recordset is, a DAO object model is, what a recordset, querydef, hmm... I could go on and on. 
Access, from the beginning was about storing DATA in a logical, CONSISTENT manner, and the USER 
hasn't a clue.

Oh yea, we now get sharepoint server, which is all about lists, I remember.  Everything is a list 
and nobody needs real tables anymore.  Tell that to the SQL Server guys, the ORACLE guys.  Tell that 
to your BANK, your auto manufacturer, or for that matter to GOOGLE.

For that matter tell that to my client in Bloomfield, Ct where we start with Policy holder, policy, 
claimant, claim, benefits, benefit details (Parent through great great great grandchild) and that is 
just the beginning of a DATABASE APPLICATION (let me repeat that)  A DATABASE APPLICATION, that 
completely runs a disability insurance claims center.  It contains 150 TABLES, ALL OF THEM 
RELATED...  Primary keys, foreign keys, all of that stuff that will magically not be needed I assume 
with sharepoint server?

Tell my client BTW exactly what of all the magical glitz and glitter makes 2007 soooooooo worthwhile 
that they need to upgrade, especially when the same old bugs that I have been telling MS about are 
still there. TEN YEARS LATER the same bugs are still there but we have a ton of magical glitz and 
glitter.

Do you get the idea that I am irritated?  Do you get the idea from the general response to this 
thread that I am not alone?

C'mon Steve.  The move to 2007 is a PITA to the guy that does Access for a living.  And now... I 
have to keep the old because most of my clients already have that (and are refusing to move in 
DROVES I might add) and learn the new just because some TWIT thinks it is "better".

My ASS!

Ahhhooooommmmmmm.... thisiswhatIdoforaliving....

OK, I am calm now...

Sharepoint?

Ahhhooooommmmmmm.... thisiswhatIdoforaliving....

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

Steve Schapel wrote:
> John,
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "jwcolby" <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 1:31 AM
> 
>> ... Microsoft imposes it on us and is absolutely silent (officially) on 
>> how to turn it off.
> 
> If you are concerned about screen real estate, it is very easy, as I think 
> you know, to minimise the ribbon until needed.  Equally, from the point of 
> view of the finished deploted application, it is very easy to "turn it off", 
> if by that you mean not have a ribbon.  So I really can't relate to what 
> you're on about here.
> 
> It is certainly the case that there has been no easy way to produce 
> customised ribbons within your applications, without a fairly steep learning 
> curve.  I have seen Microsoft people acknowledge this, and one would be 
> justifiably disappointed if this is not corrected in the near future.
> 
> I'm sorry to just pick one aspect of your post to respond to, but that was 
> the part that had me wondering whether you had given it a fair go.
> 