April 30, 2007

Isn't the future supposed to be in front of us?

Now I'm mad.Until now, the changes from "upgrading" to Office 2007 were merely annoying. And even there, I have to admit to one advantage. So far as I can tell, the Ribbon is hard-coded, and while that eliminates customization, it does result in a much snappier interface than one where every mouse click triggers interpreted VBA code.At IT Catalysts we use an application we call our "Engagement Management System"



Now I'm mad.

Until now, the changes from "upgrading" to Office 2007 were merely annoying. And even there, I have to admit to one advantage. So far as I can tell, the Ribbon is hard-coded, and while that eliminates customization, it does result in a much snappier interface than one where every mouse click triggers interpreted VBA code.

At IT Catalysts we use an application we call our "Engagement Management System" (EMS). It's a place to log all interview notes, process parameters and characteristics, hypotheses, and possible recommendations.

It's how we operate.

It relies on one of the best-designed features of Microsoft Access - its database replication and synchronization feature. It lets us operate independently as we enter our notes in airplanes, hotel rooms and other disconnected locales, merging our entries later on when we're plugged into the same network again.

Now that we've moved to Office 2007 we figured it was time to migrate the application to the new Access database format.

That's when I discovered: Access no longer supports database replication and synchronization. Or rather, it does so long as you don't convert a database to the new format.

Who makes these design decisions? Doesn't anyone at Microsoft understand anymore that when you go forward, you're supposed to end up ahead of where you started?

- Bob


Powered by ScribeFire.

White Paper

D2D Virtual Tape Library Replication Primer

This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.

Download now »

White Paper

An Alternative to Virtualization for Datacenter Cost Savings

Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.

Download now »

White Paper

Why Your Firewall, VPN, and IEEE 802.11i Aren't Enough to Protect Your Network

The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.

Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation

Download now »

White Paper

Bringing the Edge to the Data Center

Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.

Download now »

Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts

Subscribe to the Lewis: Advice Line Newsletter

The one-stop resource center for IT professionals.

©1994-2009 Infoworld, Inc.