Re: Unix- HELP! Are we being bluffed?

In comp.databases.informix article <3tgckk$jk6@news.xs4all.nl> bernards writes: >watjep@emspo01.hasting.com ("Watje, Paul") writes: >>Greg >>You are being bluffed! I would find another local dealer, they >>don't know there head from a hole in the ground. >>:We are a multi-branch retail company, Buildware Market, in South Africa. >>: We purchased Fourgen as the software to run our business, including >>aspects. >>:such >>:as point-of-sale, financials, stock control, etc. We are in the process of >>:implementing >>:the software at our first branch. Fourgen is written in Informix, which >>runs >>:on Unix. >>: >>:Our local dealer assures us that several things we thought were possible >>:are not possible. I'm not convinced, and I would appreciate some external >>:opinion. >>: >>:We want to link our office LAN (Microsoft Win for Workgroups) to the >>Fourgen >>:system >>:running on Unix. We are told that Win for Workgroups does not have >>suitable >>:terminal >>:emulators to log in to the Unix box, and that we need to purchase terminal >>:emulation >>:software called I-Net for EACH PC on the LAN, at a cost of US$235 per PC. >>:This sounds excessive. >>They have it all wrong. The only time you need I-Net is for client/server >>type >>products, Powerbuilder, Infomaker, ERWin, etc. What you need is software >>and hardware that allow you to talk to a Unix box normally. Cheapest >>example, >>but not a good on is a simple direct serial connection from the PC to the >>Unix >>box and a use a good terminal emulator, could be Windows or DOS based, and >>the right type of serial cable. Could be expensive, get a good TCP/IP stack >>for >>windows, some Telnet software, and network card and telnet to the Unix box. >>All you need is normal connectivity to the Unix box, Fourgen is character >>based, we do it all the time. >>:Furthermore, we are told that it is NOT possible to re-map keyboard keys. >>:Currently, the >>:Unix box uses F3 and F4 for Page up and Page down. We have purchased Wyse >>:terminals >>:that have a normal PC-style 101 key keyboard. We're told that we can not >>:re-map >>:the PgUp, PgDn, End, Home and other keys so that they would perform the >>:functions one >>:might expect in, say, a Windows application. This applies both to the dumb >>:terminals as well >>:as the PCs on the LAN. >>The key mapping depends on the terminal/telnet software you buy, and if >>you are willing to work with the informix termcap entries. >>:Does FourGen have any GUI which can act as a front end to users on a >>Windows >>:network? >>:Would X-Windows work with Fourgen & Informix? Are there any other ways to >>:operate >>:the Fourgen box via Windows? >>I am not aware of a GUI front end for Fourgen, but I am not an expert on >>there >>products. Yes, X-windows works with Fourgen, but just as a xterm >>charactered >>based app, like the terminal/telnet software above. I am doing this >>currently. I >>use some windows based X windows software and it works fine. >>:Another problem we have is that our Unix box operates VERY slowly. We have >>a >>:486DX2-66 >>:with 36MB ram & VESA local bus, 128KB cache, a 2GB SCSI-drive with fast >>SCSI >>:controller, >>:and a 2GB DAT streamer. We have the Informix Online engine, SCO Unix >>:(the latest version, I'm not sure of the number), and the latest version of >>:Fourgen Tools >>:(I think it's 4.12). When we only have four users logged on, and we're >>doing >>:purchase orders, >>:the system nearly grinds to a halt. Our item master consists of about 6000 >>:stock items, and we >>:have about 200 suppliers; so our database is not really that large. Why >>:could the system be so >>:slow? PLEASE help us with this, as we have to go live in about 2 weeks >>:time!!! (20 July is LIVE date) >>Our experience with fourgen was that the packages were slow, but there >> were not any indices in the original system we got. But even after the >>addition of indices, the process was still not as fast as we would have >>liked. >>:I have a further question: apparently a Unix drive can get fragmented just >>:like a FAT drive can. >>:How does one fix this? How does one tidy up all the fragments of mess that >>:may be lying around? >>Don't Know. >>:Any help greatly appreciated, and if you're in South Africa, we'll invite >>you >>:to our opening party, >>:which promises to be one to remember! >>:Greg Frank >If you are looking for a terminal-emulation program I can recomment >MS-KERMIT. Beside that it is a communication package with the >kermit protocol, it also has a excellent VT320 terminal emulation. >And you can get it FREE. >It is NOT a windows-program but it runs fine in a DOS-box. >You can redefine EVERY key on the keyboard. >It has build-in macro-language and runs on tcp/ip connections as well >on serial lines. >I'm using this program for some years now in accessing a UNIX-machine >and running Informix-4gl programs. >MS-KERMIT is available at www.columbia.edu Great decision. We use it even in Russian language environment, you know that exUSSR is mostly PC-based, and MS-KERMIT is best (hard choisen) solution to access Informix' applications on Solaris applications server from networked PC's. Turn properly termcap and PC's configuration files, and you are here. Do'nt listen to Microsoft's propaganda; save your money. YS, | _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ Anatoly M. Lisovsky| _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ +7(8439)53-07-34 | _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/