I'm very hopeful that the .NET web applications will be modified to support data entry speeds that people are used to. But for now it is a loss in productivity. You say there are several things that can be done to make the interface better and easier to navigate, but when programmers are being pushed to complete code on time and under budget, things get skipped or ignored. I believe this ties into another topic that went on about a week or so ago, regarding the re-writing of code. This is a similar issue. When you re-write the interface you end up loosing things that make the old interface useful. Maybe with time we will get back what we lost.
Jeffrey Lettau ERP Systems Manager polkaudio -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Don Kibbey Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 10:43 AM To: u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org Subject: Re: [U2] uvo.net UvBasic .Net If you use some care in design and layout of your windows screens, you can make them just as effective as "green screen" apps. Make sure you've set your tab order to a logical sequence, setup and use shortcut key combinations that make sense and use something like the down arrow to activate pick lists within combo boxes. Having a "pretty" interface does not mean you must use a mouse. The keyboard works in windows too! If all you do is paint pretty pictures and then leave the user to navigate with a mouse then yes, your keypunch folks will not be effective. On 4/29/05, Dave Schexnayder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jeff, > > Well said. I have been saying the same thing for years. > > Executives demand point-and-click, which is a great interface for some > applications, but not rapid data entry. Perhaps it is telling more about > their abilities then they would like to reveal. Oh well, they purchase the > software. > > I look forward to post point-and-click so perhaps we can get to an > interface > that is functional, fast, and effective. > > Okay, I'm done. > > Thanks, > > > Dave Schexnayder. :-) > Cheetah Advanced Technologies, Inc. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Lettau, Jeff > Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 7:53 AM > To: u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org > Subject: RE: [U2] uvo.net <http://uvo.net> UvBasic .Net > > From what we have experienced here, the addition of .NET applications on > top of Unidata that replace existing green screen functions is not a > benefit. Depending on how they are written. > The users who have been using they older green screens, want them back. > Clicking around .NET screens is not more productive or faster. > > The learning curve for new users is much lower and for the occasional > user the interface is better, but when your dealing with how many orders > a single person can process in one day, and how many phone calls one > person can field in a day, the green screen is the fastest interface. > > The problem is that no one wants to buy a product that looks old. So > software companies need to update to the latest technology to keep > selling the product. For new installs I can say that there is a big > advantage to having something that looks new and is easy to learn. > > I guess there is always a trade off when using new technology. But just > because it's new doesn't mean it's better. > > Jeffrey Lettau > ERP Systems Manager > polkaudio > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Randall > Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 5:52 PM > To: u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org > Subject: RE: [U2] uvo.net <http://uvo.net> UvBasic .Net > > I whole heartedly agree. The green screen is the crusher for our > environment. > > As far as .Net and Visual Studio go, I don't think it takes even that > much > effort as having Pick Basic as .Net assemblies to modernize or help > perception, although that would be terrific. What would be great is > simply > the ability to use U2 components in the .Net environment as easily as > you > can those of other databases. > > The biggest headache/difference is that of data awareness. The current > Visual Studio and much more so in VS 2005 allow you to establish > tables/procedures as predefined datasources that can be linked to > controls. > > If we did that, our U2 environments could be used by the dotnet world > same > as any other database. That puts us on an equal or closer footing > with > the SQL guys. Then the other features of U2 (flexible dictionaries, > variable lengths, etc.) are enhancements to be pitched as selling > points. > > Seems like a couple of vendors started down that road (most notably RD's > PDP). Maybe it one day it happens. > > Mike > > However my perception is to make PICK more acceptable to younger people > and > look more mainstream. U2 is hung more for the green screen than for > anything else, it is perceived as archaic even though that is far from > the > fact. > > If a Blue Chip company was looking at U2, and the basic code was a .Net > assembly and we could create tables, etc from the Microsoft Visual > Studio it > could be the difference between a sale win or loss. It could minimise > management wanting to throw U2 out of sites for something more modern as > the > even older RDBMS. > > It is the perceptions, not the technicalities that have dropped U2 from > mainstream. > > Regards > > David Jordan > ------- > u2-users mailing list > u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org > To unsubscribe please visit http://listserver.u2ug.org/ > ------- > u2-users mailing list > u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org > To unsubscribe please visit http://listserver.u2ug.org/ > ------- > u2-users mailing list > u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org > To unsubscribe please visit http://listserver.u2ug.org/ ------- u2-users mailing list u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org To unsubscribe please visit http://listserver.u2ug.org/ ------- u2-users mailing list u2-users@listserver.u2ug.org To unsubscribe please visit http://listserver.u2ug.org/
