Chile Forum

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If you find a good source of them, let me know!

*Bump*

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Here you go, delete:
Windows 2003 server
MS SQL Server
Great Plains (Microsoft Dynamics)
Crystal Reports with Report Server
Get rid of half of your machines.

There, now you only need a part time Java programmer.

Sorry, could not resist. Just sounded like you have a rats nest of databases that needed cleaning out.

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Yea, that mess of software had 'built by multiple under qualified Chilean computer science graduates' written all over it.

If the people you interview can not do linux / unix / open sourced based servers and software, keep looking. Anyone that comes in with a top heavy all Microsoft resume ( likely 90% of what you will find in Chile), toss it in the garbage and move on. Otherwise you are going to be back in a few years doing it all over again, for ten times the money.

Depending on what you are doing, that sounds like a big big job to clean up. Sounds like a ground up rebuild, and most concerning would be the conversions and merging of all various data bases. Honestly, I think you are doing the right thing. I would say you might even start thinking about definitely trying to find someone outside (or at least trained outside) of Chile to handle it. Remember, "computer science" and "computer engineer" graduate in Chile is a very very loose term. Someone might be able to program some Java, but rigorous industry standard testing and such will be hard to come by.

There are some pros (including Java experts) around the forum however, that might chime in with better advice.

admin wrote:If the people you interview can not do linux / unix / open sourced based servers and software, keep looking. Anyone that comes in with a top heavy all Microsoft resume ( likely 90% of what you will find in Chile), toss it in the garbage and move on. Otherwise you are going to be back in a few years doing it all over again, for ten times the money.

I think you are a bit high on your estimates. I doubt it would be ten times the money, more like 9.9 times the money.

In all seriousness, Microsoft does put out some great products and they can be used effectively, in fact in my experience, they can used more effectively than open source solutions. That said, Microsoft products are dummy friendly and make it easy to make real mistakes through inefficient coding. Microsoft makes it easy to create an 11 headed monster that may get the job done but will need a coding redo several years down the road.

If you need specific closed source solutions, then going with Microsoft and its app support is the way to go. If you have no specific app needs, then open source is the way to go.

Me? I am a former open source junkie who converted to Microsoft thanks to the BizSpark program.

Don't get me wrong, there is a place for closed source based MS software for specialized application. Just in Chile that specialized enterprise software tends to lead down a very expensive road of either vendor lock in or hacked together solutions. Inexperienced programmers tend to lean towards that solution in Chile, because that is pretty much all the universities teach, because that is all the professors know. It is changing, but not very fast.

Ripsigg wrote:Me? I am a former open source junkie who converted to Microsoft thanks to the BizSpark program.

So Open Source is to Jedi as BizSpark is to Sith. Oh no, you turned to the darkside

I was thinking drug dealer....basically under Bizspark, Microsoft gives you access to all of their goodies for 3 years. When 3 years is up, you pay them $50 and exit the program. The idea is that you'll be making enough after 3 years to afford the programs. Either way, it's a great way to learn Microsoft programs and develop without cost.

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Ripsigg wrote:I was thinking drug dealer....basically under Bizspark, Microsoft gives you access to all of their goodies for 3 years. When 3 years is up, you pay them $50 and exit the program. The idea is that you'll be making enough after 3 years to afford the programs. Either way, it's a great way to learn Microsoft programs and develop without cost.

Nothing wrong with that, sounds like a good deal.

I still have no idea what your system is all about, but my inclination is always to go with a web application of some sort when possible and there is very little on the end users side of things these days that can not be done with them (java / java script / whatever ). People understand web applications, and are not as afraid to use them. Less training, more future proofing, and removing the responsibility for security and such on the back-end from end user. Just all around more flexibility. The whole open source / whatever debate becomes irrelevant from the customers / client perspective. Ride the cloud dude (I want shoot the guy in the marketing department that came up with that )!!!

Me, I am cheap skate. If I can not find an open source solution to it, I don't do it. We are an all linux / open source shop (including desktops), and I have just saved way too much time and money to ever look back. Our annual IT savings has got to be easily over $50,000 a year because of it. I think the only closed source technology we run is on our cell phones, and I am hoping to eliminate those useless dogs from the business sometime this year with the new generation of linux based phones.