Very Computer

    I am about to specify an upgrade from an ancient (but working)
installation of Platinum for DOS (Netware Server) to one of the
following packages: Great Plains Dynamics, Platinum for Windows or
MAS90. In any case the package chosen will be running in a btrieve
format as there is no real justifacation for the expense to go up to a
SQL platform.

    I am hoping to get some feedback as to the pluses and minuses of
each of the packages I listed. If I listened to the salespeople you
would think that each of the packages is a kin to the second coming.
This of course means that there are downsides and I am hoping the nice
people here in comp.databases.* can help me to see what they might be,
before I am 50% thru a data migration and tens of thousands of $$$ in
the hole.

    The model of our company is a manufacturer, so besides the usual AR,
AP, Inventory, OE, PO,etc stuff the package would need a strong bill of
materials package, ability to serialize manufactured product, etc. Of
the things I am curious of, besides doing what we need, are:

    Modules and Upgrade Costs?
    Strength of Customer Support?
    Bugginess?
    Customizable reports?
    Performance? (Will be Win98 clients* off of an NT server on
100Base-T)
    Simplicity? (The human interface)

    Any suggestions, opinions or experiences (good or bad) are very
definately appreciated! Please you are a salesperson for one of the
aforementioned packages, do not turn this good natured quest for insight
and knowledge into to a cheap attempt at a business opportunity...

Thanks!!

Jeff

PS: If I actually get real responses (emailed or posted) I will
summarize them and repost to the group

--
Best Regards,

Jeff Johnson                    Manufacturer of high-performance
Vice President                  computer peripherals for Sun, DEC
Product Engineering             Silicon Graphics, IBM, HP and
Western Scientific              other computing platforms.

Address: 9445 Farnham Street, San Diego, CA 92123
         (619) 565-6699 (800) 443-6699 FAX: 6195656699

World Wide Web URL:   http://www.veryComputer.com/

Well, I'm not an expert on all of the packages--and I doubt you'll find many
who are--but I know Platinum for DOS well.  Guess my response would be:
1. Why change from Platinum?  Platinum for DOS 4.6 is not an "ancient"
version, and is perfectly functional.  Platinum made us an offer to upgrade
from v3.1 for the cost of a year's service contract.  I know they say they
don't "support" it running in a Win95/98 DOS box, but I've been doing it for
some time now under Netware 4.1 with no ill effects.
2. Platinum interfaces with a manufacturing program called Batchmaster that
has the exact same (DOS) look and feel, and has all of the
components/modules you specify.  It will also run in a DOS box.
3. If the driving factor is a switch from Netware to NT, you've got bigger
problems than the accounting program to worry about, and should certainly
stick with Platinum, just to reduce the variables.

    Nothing is going to look similar to Platinum for DOS except for Platinum
for DOS. Since it seems like a departure from that user interface is bound to
occur, my hope here was to find someone using the software in a similar
fashion and give their $.02. You wouldn't believe how many sales people and
developers have contacted me off of the original posting. I asked not to be
and now by contacting me have insured their not getting any business. Last
I looked this was USENET and not ADSNET or PROSPECTINGNET.

    I hear a lot of pluses to Dymanics (GPlains). Super support, etc. It also
connects to Goldmine which our sales people use. I am hoping to hear some down
sides to Dynamics. I know every product has them and the fact I cannot seem to
find anyone that can tell me is scary. It makes me think that the down side
might be big and well hidden. (Yeah, so I am a little paranoid)

    Is it that all of the packages (GPlains, Platinum/Win, MAS90, Macola) are
basically the same and its just who has the best pricing and support? Or do
each have their specific strengths is weaknesses in different business areas?
(distribution, manufacturing, light manufacturing, accounting, etc)

Ideas, Thoughts, Criticisms?

-Jeff

Well, IMHO, at bottom, a switch from Netware to NT is a "political" decision (in
the broadest sense), not one based on technological merit, and 10Base vs. 100Base
is irrelevant to it.  But you're right - if you have the luxury of developing a
parallel production plant, at least you don't put the IT segment of your business
as much at risk as most businesses would.

You might find some more experience with these various packages at the
biz.comp.accounting newsgroup.  I think it's the most mature of the accounting NGs
I've visited.

Luck.

I run Novell 4.11, and have noted that (since there is no colorful screen,
and one can't play solitaire) that the Novell stuff is about 30% faster on
the same hardware than NT.  Novell has better security as well.

In addition, my Novell 3.12 server at home has been up for over 300 days,
and it only crashed then because of my cat!  I defy most NT servers to keep
running that long.

Microsoft has done a much better job w/ the hype than they have w/ the
development... in the case of NT -Vs- Novell as well as in SQL Server -Vs-
Btrieve.

Tim Wohlford