Man/Machine interface.

Hi Group.
        I've been reading the rhetoric, on the subject of cheaper servers, and 
the subject is quite interesting.
        As long as I've been in this profession, there has always been a 
'push', or a demand for increased
        programmer productivity.
        Some means of improving the cycle of time required to capture 
information, synthesize it , and present
        it to management for timely decision making.
        The advent of the Fourth generation languages and tools is the perfect 
example of this drive.
        I find it most ironic, and I'm sure you do too, that ; with the advent 
of the windows technology, and
        the newer interface devices, the whole industry seems to have taken a 
large step backward in this respect.

        The time and effort; as an example, to design and code an 'Event' 
driven appliaction in VB
        is far greater than the traditional data capture, and processing models 
many of us have become
        accustomed to.
        From the viewpoint of everyone using the present technology, there's no 
comparison.Esthetically the
        new technology is much better.
        I guess i should clarify the fact that , what most of the older 
technologies refer to as Fourth generation software
        has to a smaller degree, been tackled by a few vendors, including 
Microsoft itself to aid the new technology
           .I refer here to code models such as Access ..etc and the 
'backoffice' tools.

        In many cases, this productivity cycle concern, is absorbed by larger 
software houses, and the responsibility for
        corporate data, has been farmed out for cost efficiencies.
        I have concluded that the trend to 'farm' out a lot of IT work, for the 
reasons stated earlier, is a dangerous one,
        and an abrogation of companies, to maintain control over their own data 
and business.

Thanks for letting me bend your ears.



Ken Shields
Oshawa systems group
Works 81, Oshawa Ontario