[AccessD] Visual Studio Express

I am with William on this one.  I have been working in Access (pre2k7) for so long I can code with 
my eyes closed.  I have my framework, I have just so many years experience, I cannot tell you that I 
can develop an app in C# anywhere close to as fast.  But is that a fair comparison?  And the bottom 
line is that C# and .Net is in an entirely different league than Access and VBA in terms of sheer 
capability, as well as stability.

Potentially C# is entirely license cost free to the client.  Assuming that I do not have to automate 
Excel or Word, there is zero license cost for my application, whereas there is a per seat license 
for Access.

C# and Access is simply not apples to apples.  It is more like an entire box of every fruit you can 
think of to a single apple.  Throw in SQL Server Express, and DMO and suddenly you have an M1 tank 
running over the apple that is Access.

http://www.sqlteam.com/article/introduction-to-sql-dmo

As William said so well, if it has to be quick and cheap, Access is still King.  If it is going to 
be enterprise wide and the enterprise is more than 50 or so seats, or it is ever going to need a web 
interface, or it is ever going to manage a huge database or (lots of other places that Access is not 
a good fit)...

I love Access, but I am learning a much more powerful tool, and C# / SQL Server is a MUCH more 
powerful tool.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Doug Steele wrote:
> William, would you say that the time you now take to develop an app in VS is
> comparable to the time you would have taken to develop the same app in
> Access?  I've done one small project this year in C# and it probably took me
> five times as long as Access would have.  I realize that I will get faster
> with practice, but how much?
> 
> Thanks,
> Doug
> 
> On Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 9:47 AM, William Hindman <
> wdhindman at dejpolsystems.com> wrote:
> 
>> gustav
>>
>> ...there are so many such goodies in VS that you can't even cover the
>> highlights in a single post.
>>
>> William
>>
>>