Didn't get to BETT, I had (real?) work to do!
(Since I'm a bit of a sceptic?) I voted against purchasing SIMs on the
grounds that it was fragmented, spawned it's own sub databases and was
nothing more than a collection of ill fitting modules. It just didn't come
across as very professional (it looked like what it was, written by people
who didn't know what they doing for people who didn't know any better). The
use of the spawned databases meant that we could not update it from our
dolphin (now capita (who now own SIMS!)) database, since any changes in the
sub-databases would be wiped!
In discussion with SIMs (prior to purchase :-) ) they told us that if I
wrote a routine to provide the required output from dolphin then they would
write a routine for the input. As we saw no point in maintaining two
databases. As a boarding school, SIMs was no good for billing (although they
told use that they would have a module soon :-) ). Anyway, we bought SIMs
and guess what, they couldn't support regular updates!
The point to this waffle is that it has evolved from some home-grown beast
that was never thought out. Like so many of it's ilk, it is assumed that the
user will only ever use their product. This produces a product that ties the
user to the company and prevents it's full capability from ever being
reached.
Incidentally I wrote a similar package for one of our feeder schools and I
think it took a couple of weeks in the evening (access/VB), it even has the
ability to handle fingerprints if you want! (the local police HQ were very
interested). But it's written specifically for them. That's easy, The
problem is writing a database that will allow multiple users/sites/schools
as well as i/p from other databases, palmtops (we have a reader and have
never plugged it in!) etc, be fast (I haven't seen any professional software
that's used by professionals that uses browsers), connect to proprietary
reporting software and ODBC, provide professional accounting capabilities
that can be drilled into and reported properly, be expandable, not fall over
every five minutes and be simple enough for teachers to use without knowing
that they are using it (ever tried showing a teacher something new? They
always have a hundred reasons why it doesn't apply to them, and they really
don't have time for this anyway!).
Creating a open-ended, versatile database will be hard enough, but that's
simple when considered against selling anything new into schools (did I say
I was a sceptic?) :-)
So, if your going to do this then first think big, say galactic, then think
bigger, unless of course you're only looking to produce your own money
making rut :-)
Okay, I'm done now.
Adrian
Kind Regards
Adrian Wells
P.S. Please use
adrian-wells@175-nbr.freeserve.co.uk
as the preferred address.
---------------------------------------------------------
Contact me on...
adrian-wells@175-nbr.freeserve.co.uk
adrian.wells@sidcot.org.uk
awells@1way.co.uk
ICQ 10436503
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Woodcock"
Hi,
Intro (a bit of background): I am from a company in Staffordshire and we are a (friendly) Linux provider, developer we have installed Linux into Weston Road High School, Stafford. We have installed 1 fileserver, 1 Multimedia and 1 powerful Proxy Caching Server. Now that's out of the way......
Reason for post: I have spoken to a few people about SIMS and its current situation, it seems that nobody is happy with its installation, fragmented DOS/ Windows interface and its functionality. I have already had a few ideas for improvement from Weston Road and I was wondering if the lovely people on this mailing list could help answer the following questions.
1. Would it be a problem to run SIMS through a web browser. Why? 2. Using MySQL as the database server. 3. Using Linux as the OS. 4. How should it be priced (if any). 5. Can anyone help with the development (not necessarily programming). 6. Which government bodies would be involved. 7. Would there need to be a protocol for things like hand held devices, laptops to dump marking info, register info etc.
Basically I need as much information as I can get to see if the development of a Linux SIMS package would be a worthwhile venture.
I hope that you can help.
Regards
Tim Woodcock. Technical Director. Fisher CAD Services Ltd.