So I wrote a project-management program for a small business using Microsoft Access 2007.
Now they’ve requested lots of additional features (timekeeping, privileged data tiers …)
I personally use Linux, but the whole office uses Windows.
I’m relatively new to programming but like to teach myself using projects like this.
I’m right on the edge on this — I can’t really tell what the path of least resistance here is: do I stay in access + VBA and teach myself a dying, annoying language — while struggling against all the limitations of Access? Or do I move to something else?
Python seems simple enough … Whatever I use, i need to be able to offer a GUI.
screenshot so you can get the jist:
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9360/screenshot1fi.jpg
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7338/screenshotmh.jpg
—
notes:
current access project uses seperate frontend-backend for multiuser sharing over a LAN
cross compatibility with linux is not that important to me, i’ve been using virtualbox for a while now.
–UPDATE–
my wanderings have convinced me that i should proceed in IronPython — however — as I try to install the suite in both XP and 7, and fail … I wonder if this also is something outdated … most importantly, iv’e been reading up on it and I LOVE PYTHON 3 — but i need to offer a GUI for Windows not sure where to start with that (including which IDE to use, etc)
VB and C# are certainly similar to Access, and would be good if you are looking to not move too far away.
Python is brilliant but nothing like Access. It is simply a programming language that happens to have good db libraries. The GUI libraries look pretty good as well though I have never used them. GUI design will be harder in python than C#/VB. Python is free and may be worth just experimenting with ie. build a GUI,connect to an SQLite database. You would probably get a good indication of the feasibility of using python for your purposes.
Dont stay exclusively with Access. Access is pretty good for small applications and you can do some stuff really quickly. On the other hand VBA is brutal and is severely limiting. Try both C# and python if you can.