[AccessD] Old Dog - New Tricks

If anybody recalls, I basically had a life changing moment about three years
ago.  After getting laid off for the third time, I took MCDBA classes,
passed 3 out of 4 exams, and am very happily ensconced in an IT shop that
covers the MS spectrum.  I've got apps in A97, A2K3, VB, web pages and a lot
of SQL backends.

I've now been tasked with converting existing stuff into .Net and have been
given a choice to use VB or C#.  We're migrating just about everything to
.Net, explored some CSLA concepts and are also planning on moving to
Sharepoint.

IMHO, generally what I've learned so far:
ASP is basically old news.  VB.Net uses aspx with code behind pages.  Going
from asp to .Net is like going from sql 6.5 to sql 2005 with almost no
backward compatibility.

Access is still going to be used, but maybe just as the backend for someone
who can't afford SQL.  VB.Net is intrinsically designed to allow the
developer to create desktop and web apps, and connect to data within the
same IDE.


-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin at
Beach Access Software
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:46 AM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: [AccessD] Old Dog - New Tricks

Dear List:
 
I am trying to decide what to do when I grow up.  Access is great but I
think the market for indies like myself is declining and I'm thinking that I
need to learn some new tricks.  The question is just what to learn.
 
I like developing small business applications - that's my strength.  So that
would be my target market.  But what platform?
 
I suppose whatever it is had better be web friendly.  Everyone seems to want
their databases and applications to reside on the web.  Or, if local, run
them in a browser.
 
So what should I learn?  VB.Net?  ASP?
I already have Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition which I got at a
Microsoft Launch and includes SQL Server 2005.
I also have VB 2008 Express Edition and Visual Web Developer.
I also have Front Page but that's been obsolete by Expressions which I can
get from the Web.
 
But I don't know how these different components relate.  Is ASP part of
Visual Studio?  Is ASP to .NET as DAO is to Access?  Can you deploy a .Net
app to the web or do you use something like Expressions to do it?  What
should I learn?  
 
Maybe I can combine what I need to learn with a Microsoft tutorial that will
get me back into the Partner Program.
 
I'm a bit at sea here as you can tell.  But assuming that I don't lay down
and let the feeling pass, I think it's time to start taking a serious look
at what I'm going to do for the next ten years. Probably a couple years past
due, actually.
 
Any advice/experience is of course, welcome.  
 
Regards,
 
Rocky
 
 
 
 
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