[AccessD] Is it over for desktop apps?

Sun Sep 11 17:43:35 CDT 2022

Don't see any 'war' here.  Just a good discussion brewing.

All the apps I have written have the FE on the client and the BE on the
server.

Some of those clients are remote.

r

On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 12:07 PM Arthur Fuller <fuller.artful at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Rocky,
>
> I am really not trying to start a culture war here. Where does the FE
> reside on those apps you mentioned? Locally (including local server) or in
> the cloud?
>
> On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 2:58 PM Rocky Smolin <rockysmolin2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I have written desktop apps that, without any 'remoting' architecture are
> > used by remote users calling in to my clients' servers. So they are 'in
> the
> > cloud' but my app is a desktop app.  So how would you score that one?
> >
> > r
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 11:54 AM Arthur Fuller <fuller.artful at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Dear John,
> > >
> > > Wow I guess you've heard that opening to a letter or email hitherto. 😀
> > >
> > > We are all quite aware of the lack of connectivity. You failed to
> answer
> > my
> > > question: have YOU written any desktop apps (in the past decade or so)?
> > >
> > > On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 2:35 PM John Colby <jwcolby at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > There are millions of Americans that have zero access to the
> internet.
> > > > There are BILLIONS of human beings with zero access to the internet.
> > > Nuff
> > > > said.
> > > >
> > > > On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 12:17 PM Arthur Fuller <
> > fuller.artful at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Recently I came across (on Quora) the following remark regarding
> > fully
> > > > > fledged desktop applications. "Personally I think those days are
> > nearly
> > > > > over and it would be best to move to the cloud straight away."
> > > > >
> > > > > Although technically I am retired and have been so for a number of
> > > > years, I
> > > > > spent a good number of years developing desktop apps, primarily in
> > > Access
> > > > > but also in a couple of other languages.
> > > > >
> > > > > The term "desktop apps" includes both strictly desktop (both FE and
> > BE
> > > on
> > > > > the same machine) and apps that live on a small network, with the
> BE
> > > > living
> > > > > on a server. I have never written an app that lives in the cloud,
> > even
> > > > > though I have a license to MS 365. Mostly my experience with the
> > cloud
> > > is
> > > > > off-site backup. I tend to develop locally, so to speak, and then
> > copy
> > > to
> > > > > OneDrive frequently.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm curious as to your experience.
> > > > >
> > > > > 1. Do you develop apps for use on the cloud? If so, approximately
> > what
> > > > > percentage of your apps live there?
> > > > > 2. Assuming that the client of interest has an internet connection,
> > is
> > > > > there any reason to develop your apps *not *for the cloud?
> > > > > 3. Are there shortcomings (specifically with Office in mind) to
> > > > > cloud-based-apps that desktops apps do not suffer? I mention Office
> > > > because
> > > > > many if not most of the apps I've written in the past couple of
> > decades
> > > > > have consisted of pieces written in Access, Word and Excel; a few
> of
> > > > these
> > > > > are quite elaborate, involving exports to Excel first, then
> creating
> > > > tables
> > > > > within Word documents, formatted according to standards mandated by
> > > > various
> > > > > provincial governments, and in Canada that may also involve
> > translation
> > > > > from English to French.
> > > > >
> > > > > Let's stick to Access, for the moment. I have only a little
> > experience
> > > > > deploying apps to hundreds or thousands of users. Mainly I've
> worked
> > > with
> > > > > smallish corporations or government branches with, give or take, a
> > > > hundred
> > > > > users in a few cities, all connected to a Windows Terminal Server.
> My
> > > > > thoughts back then were that the FE should reside locally, on each
> > box;
> > > > and
> > > > > I took the time to create a self-extracting EXE which would deposit
> > the
> > > > > latest install or update locally, with its connection to the server
> > > baked
> > > > > in.
> > > > >
> > > > > Bear in mind that in a couple of months I'll be 75yo, and so have
> > > > probably
> > > > > --nay, certainly -- fallen far behind current thinking and
> > > technologies.
> > > > So
> > > > > I'm asking for you to help me patch and paddle this leaking canoe.
> > > > >
> > > > > Should I be thinking exclusively in terms of the cloud? Is it
> > > essentially
> > > > > over for local servers (one per office, approximately)? If so, does
> > > that
> > > > > mean that the market for local servers is over? What advantage is
> to
> > be
> > > > > gained, if any, by having a local server, as opposed to running it
> > all
> > > on
> > > > > the cloud?
> > > > >
> > > > > And now we return to the classic question, albeit with a cloudy
> > twist.
> > > > > Should the FE reside in the cloud, as well as the BE?
> > > > >
> > > > > And finally, can I copyright the name McCloud? Of course, I dropped
> > the
> > > > "e"
> > > > > and I know it! I am also confused by the spellings of "McX" and
> > "MacX",
> > > > > wherein "X" stands for anything from "Donald" to "Hoolihan" to
> > > > "Robertson"
> > > > > and any other letters I've left out -- oops, cannot omit Mathew
> > Matthew
> > > > > McConnaughey. There are names of towns in Wales easier to spell
> than
> > > > > Matthew's surname. It's only fair: you can't be that handsome and
> > have
> > > a
> > > > > name like "Bill Smith" or even worse, "Arthur Fuller.
> > > > > *Back to the Cloud*, the original subject of this admittedly
> > incherent
> > > > > message. As so accused, I plead Guilty to the charge of
> Incoherence.
> > In
> > > > the
> > > > > past month, I have suffered two strokes, and while still able to
> > speak
> > > > and
> > > > > type, walking has become an issue. As William Burroughs said, "If
> I'd
> > > > known
> > > > > I were going to live this long, I should have taken better care of
> > > > myself."
> > > > > (Being a fussbudget, I corrected his spelling.)
> > > > > New idea for the next Olympics: Aquatic Spelling Bees. The
> > contestants
> > > > wear
> > > > > waterproof earphones and listen to the words to spell, and then
> > > enunciate
> > > > > them underwater -- something similar to two divers trying to
> > > communicate
> > > > > distress while two hundred feet beneath the water's surface. That
> > could
> > > > be
> > > > > serious fun!
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Arthur
> > > > > --
> > > > > AccessD mailing list
> > > > > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> > > > > https://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > > > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > John W. Colby
> > > > Colby Consulting
> > > > --
> > > > AccessD mailing list
> > > > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> > > > https://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Arthur
> > > --
> > > AccessD mailing list
> > > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> > > https://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> > >
> > --
> > AccessD mailing list
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> > https://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> >
>
>
> --
> Arthur
> --
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>