Vista support for legacy applications

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Maggie,

Have you considered approaching this from a different angle. A Virtual
Machine.

I would expect Vista to run Virtual PC or VMWare. This would allow you to
install an actual copy of DOS v? and any apps that run on that OS within a
virtual machine running inside Vista. But the important thing would be you
would not need any compatibility mode guess work, your legacy app would
think it was back in the dark ages where it feels at home.


Hope this helps
 
Well that said, is there a rush to move to Vista, can't you stay with XP
until all/most the bugs (and there will be some) from the released version
of Vista are fixed? Also how many users are there?

JS
 
If you think there is a chance that the application may need to run on Vista
then you really need to take advantage of the CPP program and try it. At the
very least you'll be able to say "It doesn't work on Vista". At best the
program will run fine. I'm betting it will be the first option. Paradox for
DOS was hard to get running smoothly on a DOS machine. I remember using 3rd
party memory managers like QEMM and such just to get it stable. You will
increase your stress levels daily by guessing and wondering. Even if you
find out it doesn't work on Vista at least you will know and can start
planning. You probably have at least a year and more likely two years before
Vista replaces XP. That gives you quite a while to fix things if you start
now.

I deal with many small business' running DOS LOB software. It is getting
harder and harder to support them. As computers break down and get replaced
they are up the proverbial creek as very few new computers will run Windows
98 let alone DOS. As someone else mentioned sometimes you can use a virtual
environment but that is not really a long term solution. The only viable
long term solution is to find a supply of computers that will run DOS or
port the program to something newer that works with newer OS'.
 
There are around 50 users, plus some of the data is exported in various
formats for use in other applications.

Working alone on it full time, it would take me about 2 years to port --
without upgrading to a different database format or adding any features.

There is no particular push to upgrade to Vista, but at some point there
will no longer be a choice.
 
Chris,

That is a great idea! I have a colleague who is a big devotee of VMWare and
will not do any development work without it. Wish I had thought of that. This
would give me the time to update it at my leisure.

My one question is whether or not it would still be able to access the
Netware 6 network, which is where the data is, and what the printers are
attached to.
 
Just inserting my nose: I am also a techno-dinosaur, running dBASE on my
computer without a glitch. I find strength and succor by posting on
http://www.tek-tips.com/, and while I have no idea what vista you are
viewing, I wish you luck as the big guys try to legislate away programs
which work perfectly well.

Regards,

P D Sterling
Dallas TX
 
No one is trying to "legislate away programs". The programs still work
perfectly well on the hardware and OS they were designed for. Although
depending which version of DBase or Paradox we're talking about "perfectly
well" might be overstating it. Some versions of both had problems in DOS.
What is happening is that OS' and hardware are evolving beyond the scope of
those programs. Do you see any new cars with tillers instead of steering
wheels and a hand brake lever on the outside of the car? Things change,
mostly for the better. If you won't or don't want to keep up then you have
one option. Find a source of new hardware that is compatible with your old
OS and programs. When the hardware breaks replace it with hardware from this
source and keep using your old programs.
 
Maggie,

I am by no means a Vista or Virtual Machine guru but I would expect you
probably would be able to. You will find both brand of techie in the
relevant newsgroup.

Try "windows.public.windows.vista.networking_sharing" for the vista
question. Not sure where to go for the VMWare info though. Over to somebody
else for that one.

Luck
 
I can follow some of your points, however, a 1906 Duryea with a tiller
will still work on modern roads. No classic auto buff would try to run
it on an Interstate, so that's no problem.

In parallel, programs which work PERFECTLY WELL do not need replacement
in my humble opinion. Neither dBASE or Paradox had any problems of which
I am aware. Perhaps they would not send a man to the moon, but they
would do all that I require, and I heartily resent having to have
duplicate or triplicate equipment to run DOS programs.

I also heartily resent how slowly Windows and other Microsoft
applications boot, and the inordinate number of features (potential
bugs) they sport.

Regards,

P D Sterling
Dallas TX
 
Of course they don't need replacement. They still work as they were
designed. The problem is that continuing to try to support them in a modern
OS would cause many problems and stifle innovation. One of the main reasons
for many of the bugs and security flaws in Windows is because of Microsoft's
attempts to continue supporting legacy applications. You can't expect the
world to stand still for you.

To go back to the automobile analogy. Where would you get parts for the 1906
Duryea if something broke? The Duryea had a top speed of less than 10 mph.
Even on the least used of modern roads that would get you into trouble
sooner or later if you tried to use it on a regular basis. You would have a
hard time registering it for anything other than demonstration use. It would
effectively be a special use only toy not a daily use tool.
 
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