Re: Ecco alarms are not behaving properly - urgent

Hi, really good question, and I'm moved to an exhaustive answer.

I have an issue with Microsoft in the number of types of system you have 
to know. We had up to last year, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista 
and now Windows 7. As we move on the overall functionality goes down in 
terms of how they talk to other machines. In particular we had a Windows 
XP 64 bit server that was as good for us as server software. The current 
Windows 7 hobbles the user number so we now use a Synology Linux NAS for 
managing everything other than our MySQL database.

Basically Microsoft forces you to buy other programmes to fill in gaps 
that they deliberately leave. Question is, do I need all the facilities 
of full blown server software. Answer No. It is the same with much of 
their software. We use a fraction of the facilities. But we then buy in 
specialist software that actually do the job we need, such as tableau 
for data visualisation.

Secondly, Microsoft always believes that they know best. If you leave a 
routine running for a while, there is always a danger that Microsoft 
will turn up with an upgrade that absolutely MUST be installed now. If 
you watch the screen all the time you will pick up the message. If you 
leave it to the end of the day, you won't. Microsoft don't care, unless 
you click the button you actually agree that they can stop everything. 
Now we run AVG business and Malwarebytes upgraded. There is little that 
is likely to happen. Doesn't matter. Microsoft firmly believe that they 
are the most important thing in your life. Except of course when it 
comes to getting you to beta test the latest incomplete software they 
have sold you, when they expect you to put up with it.

Why have we not moved already?

I think I can answer this in two ways;

1. The devil you know. Basically we operate databases through 
Access/ODBC to MySQL. The concern is that in moving from a native 
Windows environment some of the VBA may fall over. As we migrate it all 
to the web and a PHP/MySQL position this issue becomes irrelevant. But 
we we are not there yet.

2. As we buy in new machines they come with Windows as standard

The Future

We will not have another Microsoft server.

As soon as we have done this and we have moved basically to an online 
data model, we will move terminals, starting with the Windows XP ones 
across to Linux.

We use (and I am not an IT guy but someone has to do it) approx 14 
machines. So the pain is in the change. The only Microsoft 
sophistication we use other than Access is Pivot Tables. We will just 
buy more licenses of tableau.

I don't hate Microsoft, they are just becoming the operating system for 
big companies since, at the moment, the pain and cost of change would be 
too great.

Ecco is the perfect tool for the job, tableau is another one, Access 
makes prototyping easy, if anyone knows about a similar way of managing 
MySQL tables I would move tomorrow.

What is Microsoft perfect for? I struggle for an answer.

Best wishes


On 11/03/2014 19:33, r634718-/[email protected] wrote:
>
> OK, you think that technical support is better using a GNU/Linux OS.  
> And OK they are free.  And of course OK you can run Ecco on these if 
> you use helper software -- that's not an advantage, but it's notable.
>
> Other than that do you have any reasons why you prefer these OS's to 
> an MS Windows OS?  If so what?
>
> 

-- 
Colin Harper

Managing Director Storecheck Marketing, 01753 648800 Mobile 07720 809090

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