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<TITLE>RE: [AccessD] Future of Access?</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>The saving grace is that any new technology will be forced to provide a migration path for the mainstream technologies it is replacing. The trick becomes to not get too many versions behind so that you are orphaned. For example, last night I needed to open some old wp and wpd files. Nothing on my machine recognized them. Word will import wordperfect 5.x - anything before then and I am sol.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Jim Hale </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Drew Wutka [<A HREF="mailto:DWUTKA@marlow.com">mailto:DWUTKA@marlow.com</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 9:46 AM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Future of Access?</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>30 years is quite a long time. This issue has definitely been discussed</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>before. The real problem with using Access 97 isn't the .mdb nor Jet, it's</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>the Access GUI itself. If you build an Access 97 .mdb, that just holds data</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>(so it's only tables), then it will last as long as the OSes available keep</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>themselves within their current paradigm. Using VB as a Front End thus</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>allows an installable (again, as long as the OSes.....) FE, that won't need</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>to be replaced.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Creating an App entirely within Access 97 runs some other risks. I wouldn't</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>really be concerned about A97 acting up with an OS, my big concern would be</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>it acting up with a newer version of Office, that may come down the road.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Everything so far has been backwards compatible, but who knows.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The big issue with OS paradigms, is that right now all available options</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>work in the current OS schemes. However, if the OS paradigm changes (like</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>they go with some sort of virtual reality OS, or whatever), more then likely</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Access 97 will not work correctly, but then again, neither will any other</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>option....because if things really shift, EVERYTHING will need to shift with</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>it. Make sense?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>It's kind of like saying that you need to build a car that will last for 30</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>years. If you could build it so that all of the parts involved truly lasted</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>30 years, with no need to repair anything, your limiting factor is still</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>gasoline (which the car will run on.....just like Access 'runs on' an OS</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>like Windows 2000, XP, 9x, etc.). In 30 years, gasoline may be completely</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>replaced by a new fuel source. How could you possibly build a car with an</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>unknown future on the fuel? You can't, you can only guarantee something</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>from with a set of defined rules. However, if gasoline is replaced in 30</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>years, your car is probably going to be the least of everyone's concerns,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>since everyone will need to change to the new system. Make sense? To try</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>and relate it to cars and fuel again, imagine SQL Server 2000 is the latest</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>model Porshe. Now imagine that Access 97 is a 1969 VW Bug. A lot of</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>experts will state that the latest model Porshe has all sorts of wonderful</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>features, how it can do things that weren't dreamed of in 1969. Their</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>right. However, right now, both cars would run on gasoline. If gasoline</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>disappeared, and was replaced with a different fuel source, both cars would</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>need an overhaul to run on the new fuel (OS).</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Drew</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Foote, Chris [<A HREF="mailto:Chris.Foote@uk.thalesgroup.com">mailto:Chris.Foote@uk.thalesgroup.com</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 4:04 AM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: 'accessd@databaseadvisors.com'</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: [AccessD] Future of Access?</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Hello all!</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I'm in the process of putting together a document for my company. We are</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>bidding for a contract that will last for at least 30 years. I'm proposing</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>the use of an existing database created using A97 to manage one aspect of</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>this contract. I suspect that Access 97 will not be supported (or indeed</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>supportable) come 2033. I need to put in some upgrade path. I'm thinking</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>along the lines of:</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>A97 upgrade to A2k in the next few years.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>A2k to SQL(?) in 2005</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Then what?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Anyone got a hotline to the future?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Is SAP going to be the next big thing or .NET or XML or....?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Any comments gratefully received.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I appreciate that predicting the death of Access on databaseadvisors.com is</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>a bit OT >;O</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Best regards!</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Chris Foote</FONT>
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