[AccessD] FMS Article on the new features in Access 2007

Drew Wutka DWUTKA at Marlow.com
Fri Mar 20 14:48:48 CDT 2009


This seems to be a dual thread, between 2007 and Vista.

What do you hate about Vista.  I think one of the core problems with
Vista (and actually any new OS), is that computers have DRASTICALLY
increased in abilities in the last few years.  Windows 2000 was a real
jump in performance and stability, but when it came out, a top of the
line computer was a first generation PIII (perhaps 500 mhz, if you were
pushing it, with 512 megs of RAM (if you had the money)).  

Now, I can get a duo core 2.4 ghz desktop with a decent hard drive and a
gig of RAM for a few hundred bucks.  And that's where the rub is.

Unless you are a gamer, or into very high end processing stuff (like
modeling software, where millions and millions of calculations are
required), you standard computer has been more then adequate for the
typical user.  Checking email, writing word docs, etc....all of this was
fine even in the DOS days.  As computers got faster and had more storage
capability, videos and music came into the picture.  Most of that is
just fine with even a PII.  

So your typical user has way more power at their finger tips then they
actually need.  However, the clincher is that most people don't realize
what they should really have to truly get better performance.

XP was great.  I can easily run on a PIII with 512 megs of RAM.  It runs
better with a faster processor and more RAM, but then again, it really
didn't do a lot on top of being a Windows OS.  Vista, gets much closer
to what an OS should do. It should push your machine to the max with
every feature that can be crammed in.  One thing left out of Vista
(though I believe it has the capability set as ready to go), is a new
file system.  FAT went to NTFS, but then it stopped.  A SQL Server like
file system would improve all sorts of things, and make a whole new
range of capabilities possible, but it would be devastating to older
systems, Access included.  Access is a file based database, it needs the
ability to read and write to specific sections of a file.  FAT and NTFS
do that fine, but a file system setup more like a relational database
wouldn't handle minute file changes very well.

Something to keep in mind.  To get the most out of Vista (and OS
designed to get the most out of your machine), you need to be aware of
the actual components that are behind computer power.

Processor Speed:  Anything in the gigahertz range is immensely fast.
You aren't going to see any real change between a 3.4 ghz P4 and a 3.6
ghz P4.  So don't blow your money on the absolute fastest processor.

RAM:  This is pretty critical, but most people don't realize that they
really should be running as much memory as possible, not just more then
the minimum.  If you want to see Vista running nicely, you should have
at least 3 to 4 gigs.

Drive Speed:  This one is so often missed, when buying a computer.  To
really kick a machine up in performance, I recommend going with a RAID.
Striped Mirrors are probably the best when it comes to performance and
redundancy.  Get fast spinning (and quick access times), double them up
with a strip (so you write to two drives or more at the same time) and
duplicate them with a mirror (so you are reading from two drives at the
same time).

Video power:  Video used to be the realm of the gamer.  But in today's
high bandwidth world, graphics are getting heavier and heavier, and
Vista takes advantage of that by providing a much flashier OS.  Either
get a higher end video card, or turn off all of those features in Vista.

Drew



-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Susan Harkins
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 1:38 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] FMS Article on the new features in Access 2007



> Thanks for that Charlotte.
> So bottomline, they are not listening.
> Wow.
> I wonder.... given the low sales, low adoption rate, and poor
acceptance 
> of
> Office 2007 whether or not that will change....hmmmmm.
> Food for thought.


========07's been out for a long time and none of the publishers I write
for 
care whether I support it or not -- I am still writing for 03 and I try
to 
include 07 instructions were necessary, but I write from the 03 point of

view. I seldom get a "how do I do that in 07?" request if I forget to 
include a parenthetical.

A poll we took a while back showed that less than half of my Office
audience 
has upgraded to 07 -- 07 is a dismal failure if that's all you consider.

However, I know that "corporate" types have upgraded in large numbers.
So, 
if MS is looking at only the hefty licensing, then yeah, they think it's
a 
success.

I could really use a new system, but I can't even face the Vista
problem. I 
hate Vista and I would be miserable working on it, and danged if I want
to 
pay extra for a downgrade to XP! What an obnoxious thing to do to your 
customers!

Susan H. 

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