Posted by Bill Schwab-2 on Sep 28, 2003; 9:59pm
URL: https://forum.world.st/How-does-Dolphin-compare-to-Access-and-Delphi-tp3368794p3368797.html

Jen,

> I'm researching development platforms right now. I'm intrigued by
> Dolphin Smalltalk since I used to be a Smalltalk programmer.  I was
> wondering how it compares to environments like Delphi or Access,
> though, for writing business applications.

IMHO, Access is a great way to go for some jobs.  Its integration of table
design, direct entry/editing in tables, queries, forms and reports is very
convenient.  I'm not a fan of using it to package software for end users,
but given my general frustration with and distrust of Microsoft, that would
not surprise those who know me.  BTW, I've also seen a group _greatly_
regret deploying from Access - the results were pig slow and had to be
scrapped with lots of lost efficiency during the rewrite.


> I'd like to use something to develop applications with an RDBMS
> backend (most likely MySQL),

I think MySQL is probably a good choice.  I have to admit to having a
problem with a query that either takes a _very_ long time to run or enters
an endless loop.  In truth, it's not hurting me very much, or I'd be working
through it faster.  It is keeping an Access database on one system for much
longer than anticipated.  I have been using MySQL for a while now, with only
the one snag.


> be able to print forms and reports.
> Access and Delphi (and probably FileMaker to a certain extent) have
> all the tools needed, but if I have a choice between Smalltalk and
> BASIC or Object Pascal, I definitely prefer Smalltalk.

You can search the archives of this group for some discussion of reporting.
I generally just roll my own using HTML.


> Also, what's the health of Dolphin Smalltalk right now?   How well
> supported is it,

The support is excellent.  One of the first things you should do is download
the newsgroup archives from Ian Bartholomew's web site, and then get either
his news archive reader or DSDN.  Many questions that you will have will
already be answered, and are quite easy to find, especially by searching on
one key word and then searching the results for others.


> how big is the development community,

I'll defer to OA on that one.


> and how likely
> is it to be around (while keeping pace technologically) for the next
> five years?

It would be interesting to look at five year old trade rags.  We were
probably all supposed to be writing OLE servers in C++, or was it Java?

I'm hoping that Dolphin will be around for a lot longer than five years, and
to be honest, I'm hoping that Dolphin won't quite keep up :)   Microsoft has
a long history of getting people wound up about going in new directions,
only to make a counter offer not long afterward.  I'm getting dizzy, and
simply want to make computers do useful things, both as an end in itself,
and so I can do lots of other work based on and enabled by the results.

Squeak apparently now has a .NET bridge that allows it to drive .NET
components; I'm in favor.  Given Dolphin's excellent support for COM,
Automation and otherwise,  I suspect that OA will do no less.  If I have a
fear, it's that OA could go too far, either wasting time on a technology
that (sorry...) I don't think is going to go anywhere for any length of
time, or just flat have the rug pulled out from under them as happened with
internet browser plugins (not just Dolphin's).

Just in case there's doubt, the concerns above are almost exclusively
directed at Microsoft.  Object Arts is a small company, which is good in
many ways, especially given that they have a GREAT product.

Happy Smalltalking!

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]