Re: Announcement: Multivalue on a PDA

"Glen B" wrote:
The major difference is that you can write the logic and data application
on a regular QM server and then just dump the BASIC app on the PDA. You
don't need to create any kind of cross-connectivity for business rules, like
deploying .NET that calls subroutines. On top of doing that, you still have
to write your application using a PDA-knowledable language.

There are many ways to deploy to various devices. For the last 10
years we've had the ability to use devices and non-conventional user
interfaces against an MV back-end. The difference here is that MV is
actually running stand-alone on the device itself. This doesn't
invalidate other options, it just adds a new option to the mix.
Everyone needs to decide for themselves what the best solution will be
for specific user categories.

With .NET or Java and a short amount of time, I can write a graphical
user interface for a PDA (cell phone, watch, BlackBerry, or tablet PC)
which will sync with QM or any other MV back-end. Where data is
stored and how it syncs with servers can change depending on the needs
of the end-user. I did my first graphical PDA interface about 7 years
ago, storing and manipulating data locally until it was ready for a
sync with the MV back-end. This isn't new and it's not rocket
science. Someone at Spectrum this week showed me a browser-based app
via RF for PDA. Most of you can do that too.

In addition to storing data locally in a familiar MV format, the
advantage of this new offering is that the text-based UI can be
written in MV code, and the same validation rules from the server can
be used directly on this client. In fact this client now is also a
"server". The MV developer can now deploy a character-based app into
a portable device without using another language. This advantage is
purely for developers and really has nothing to do with end-users.
It's very neat stuff and all, but I hope developers don't get too
confused here: "easy for the vendor" should not translate into
"desirable by the consumer". Your blue-screen character app in
Windows XP may get the same luke-warm reception as your blue-screen
character app in Windows CE. If you have a real business case for
deploying a PDA solution, consider your audience carefully, understand
what they expect from these devices, and don't go too far down the
development path before asking a test audience how they feel about the
new offering.

I'll ask one simple question: if you port your MV app directly into a
PDA, do you really expect people are going to use a stylus/pen to
enter data the same way they would if they were typing? No, you're
going to have to whittle down your MV app so that it both fits on the
small screen and so that it eliminates as much data entry as possible.
You're also going to need to do a lot of testing find a balance
between having a helpful amount of data on-board and keeping your
sorts small. Other considerations will become apparent as we get more
familiar with the nuances of this new option.

I look forward to working with QM on a PDA too, but before I write a
"solution" I'll sure be asking a lot of questions from users about
exactly what the problems are, and how the user expects that problem
to be solved.

TG@ removethisNebula-RnD.com
.

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