* KB > i am a new-bie, > should i even think of using mySQL in the following scenario ? > i have a situation in mind where two or three ( sometimes > concurrently ) people will be making invoices, on three computers > in different locations on lan.
mysql is perfect for such a scenario, and you have a number of programming laguages and server platforms to choose between: <URL: http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/Clients.html > <URL: http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/Which_OS.html > Because of the lightweight usage you are planning, you could use almost any old machine for a server, take a look in the back of the closet. :) You could also install the mysql server on an existing machine in your LAN, it does not require much resources. > what front end tools should i think of using for dataentry clients ? You say "NON web based" in the subject, but I guess that is because you are planning on running this on LAN only? IMO, using web based clients even for LAN only appplication is a time-saver. You need a server in any client/server configuration, if you don't go for the web server, you will still need some kind of application server. And just to make it clear: the mysql server can not act as an application server, it is "only" a database server. A web server, on the other hand, more or less is a generic application server (at least if it's 'enabled' with something, like php/perl/python). I would use HTML/PHP for the front-end, and probably Python for any background processing, but that's me. There are many other options. I don't know if you have done any programming before, or even if you are planning to start now. There could be existing tools for easy creation of dataentry forms for non-programmers, but I don't know of any. If you are beginning programming, HTML/PHP is a relatively easy path. (Python too, for that matter.) > how can i print invoices from the database, on a specific printer > only, when somebody ( with a username and pswd ) gives a command > from anywhere on the Lan / intranet. This depends on the client language you choose and the OS and setup of your server. For instance, in a HTML/PHP scenario, you would have a local web server on your lan, and the same server (or a different one) could run the mysql server daemon. The clients connect to the server using web browsers, and after login they can press a 'Print' button. This button triggers a script on the web server, and this script queries the mysql server and formats/prints the invoice to any predefined printer accessible from that local web server. If you do not go for a HTML solution, you will need an "application server" for this, a server process accepting requests from your clients, querying the mysql server, formatting and printing the invoices. Good luck! :) -- Roger -- MySQL General Mailing List For list archives: http://lists.mysql.com/mysql To unsubscribe: http://lists.mysql.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
