This comment is from the end-user's point of view, modified by
conversations with programers relative to my own project design.
Just having SQL and Java will not be adequate to provide an
ergonomically efficient interface, adequate security, and
efficient data management, based on what I've seen and been
told.
Ergonomics: The new data system for airmen medical examinations
uses Oracle underneath and Java on top. We airman medical examiners
come in using 128-bit encrypted browsers (Netscape or Explorer),
and enter airmen's data via an interface. The data entry
capabilities are clumsy; data presentation from the database is
slow and limited, and error-checking of the input data is essentially
nil. Sophisticated post-processing of data by a Java application is
impossible.
I was startled and frustrated by the limitations of this new software,
and was able to speak personally to the developer about its limitations.
In a long, cordial conversation, he convinced me that he is pushing
Java to its limits, given that he can't restrict users to use *either*
Nscape or Xplrr.
In my own project, the programmer is using ZOPE between the browser
and the SQL (PostgreSQL) database precisely because is it able to
(easily) negotiate the functionality that is tedious with SQL,
laborious with PERL, and impossible with Java. Whether ZOPE is the
best solution I am not qualified to say, but I have been persuaded
that middleware is necessary.
Perhaps Greg Wettstein can correct my misconceptions about this, or
elaborate accurately on whatever truth is in this note.
Dan Johnson md
