I used for work as a contractor for the US Army, I know how f*cked up their systems are. Their idea of data replication was loging into either a Telnet or Web Server and downloading a 300+ meg flat text file and then importing it into Oracle, SQL Server, Clipper, DBase, Access, and oh yeah Lotus 123 or Excel files for various projects that they had which ran the same report, with the same numbers, but at different speeds on different platforms, being emailed for many people who just ignore them except for a General or two who gets a big laugh out of them as they are reading them between rounds at the Golf course as they wait for one of my managers to take a turn at Golf. God I loved that job, too bad they had us migrate the data down to the AMCOM base as they closed down the one in St. Louis. Yeah there may have been an Interbase database or two, I wasn't impressed by them. Not something I'd want to use while running the M1 Abrams tank, but we mostly did the Aviation and Troop stuff, Interbase apparently sucked for that so they wouldn't let us use it. Same goes for DB2, and some others. After that job I cannot sleep at night knowing the technology that powers our military and how it works. Yes the whole army brought to its knees because a database buckled down and they have to resort to old data and the provisioning stuff cannot get out until someone fixes it. Which means anything with a NSN (National Stock Number) anything from an ID card to a Nuclear Bomb, isn't going to move until that one database that everything passes through on a Telnet or Web connection to download that huge flat text file. Saddam can thank the poor database design of the US Military that we haven't invaded Iraq, and kicked his sorry *ss yet. Wait until they can rebuild the server and database that powered the provisioning system to get the stuff moving again. Then we can move in those tanks, planes, boats, troops, smart bombs, and some skinny guy named Irving Snockpockets that wants to go over there and paint horns and a beard on every picture of Saddam that he can find in Iraq.

Interbase data sheets and whitepapers will be downloaded. Either my boss will like them or I'll get fired. Hey, you know of any job opening where you live? I think I got the last IT job in the USA where I live, if I blow this one my only chance is going to be getting a Work Visa and then move out of the USA. Or I could move to Huntsville and work for the military again, I hear they need help getting their database running again so they can kick Iraq's butt.

Two thousand is a lot of money. We have a cost per workstation that doesn't earn us a profit until they stick with us for at least 18 months at $700 a month. Which means it costs us $12,600USD per workstation to get them running and support them and get everything they need. Then after 18 months after all the software licenses, hardware costs, support costs, nose blowing, and other stuff gets paid off, we hope that they stick with us or else we are going to have to lay someone off again. Windows 2000 Server costs $1200USD for 10 Client Access licenses, I think that SQL Server is about that much or higher. Our average network can be anywhere from 8, 10, or 24 workstations per network. So the costs can be great. Of that $12,600USD cost, about $2,500USD of it is the POS (Point of Sale) workstation with the LCD screen, touchpad, barcode scanner, etc. It includes a license to use Windows 98SE (heck it even comes in a shrink wrapped package with a CD, a user's manual, and we put it into a little baggie for them). The rest is support issues, Server costs, Database costs, application liciensing fees, development, etc.

So yeah, I guess that $2000USD is a lot of money, but it could be less than the Microcrap licensing.

Uh, Borland still offers demo versions, right? I think my account may work, but last time I tried to download Kylix, it freaked out on me and I got a damaged file, even with WGET, even with Netscape Smart Download, even with WS_FTP, even with GFTP on CYGWIN, well you get the idea. I'll try again, but last time I did someone from Borland called me up "Didja install it yet? What did you think? How many copies can I put you down for?" I told them "The download was incomplete and I am still trying to configure my X-Server and Network connection in Red Hat Linux, if you want to help me with that, I'd sure apreciate it." to which they just said "Huh?" had a few momments of silence, and then said "Well, call our 800 number if you ever get things working...." [CLICK]

My Red Hat Linux 7.3 machine just got reformatted into Windows 2000 Server so I can test stuff out at home and don't have to log into a VPN (which doesn't seem to work when I do log into it, cannot see any servers from over the VPN connection) my other Windows 2000 Server shot craps and nothing can connect to it. System files just went missing, that Administrator account that I disabled, is enabled again. IIS went bye-bye, says it is running and using port 80, yet cannot view any files there despite the fact that I can load local HTML files into any web browser in the directory that IIS says it should be using. Oh heck, I think I'll have a better time with Whistler Beta 2, if it ever arrives from Microsoft. By the time it gets here, I might be able to upgrade to RC2 or something?

Anyone want to hire a slightly used Programmer/Analyst/DBA/Nerd/Computer Geek/Ex-Hacker(not cracker, hacker as in programming, not breaking into systems)/Ex-Unemployed then Reemployed and soon to be Unemployed Technology Worker who also used to build PC systems, work at a Help Desk, run his own business, was an Election Judge for a while (Both Democratic and Republican), ex-Burger Flipper (hey it paid college tuition), Temp Worker, and nice guy who is so nice that most managers would not want me to work in the same cesspool as them but will keep my contact info on their Rolodex in hope that they get a new job somewhere else kind of guy?

Now for your next trick:

Are there any tools from taking an Access or SQL Server database and migrating it over to Interbase? I am not talking about those flaky things like Erwin that won't even connect to the SQL Server 2000 (but could to a 6.5 or 7.0 server?) or at least the demo didn't, maybe the full version will? But they are not getting my money until I know it can get the damn job done.

When I did a search on Google to find IB and Firebird migration tools, I found results, but the links to those tools didn't work. Que? Others cost between $50 to $200, but the evaluation and demo versions didn't work, QUE? Are there any f*cking reliable database migration tools that f*cking work and don't cost an arm and a leg to buy? The cheapie ones appear to take one look at our Access or SQL Server database and freak out. Even the Microsoft Access 97/2000 Upsizing Wizard barfed on us. My coworker got p*ssed that I was using tools instead of trying to do it by hand. Yeah, I downloaded the damn things at home, burned a CDR because our company bandwidth sucks, and then took 15 minutes to try those tools out instead of taking a break. She took 20 minutes to chew me out for wasting the company time. If this stuff keeps up, I'm giving back the laptop, leaving the database migration product half-done (Hey good luck guys, see ya!) giving them all the source code and documentation to the projects that I was working on, taking all my computer books, my fan, my personal stuff, and then walking out and becoming a f*cking farmer after selling my house. I'd rather grow corn that have people block my path so I cannot get my job done. I'd grow corn, pay off the farm, n if the Government pays me to not grow corn, I will use that money to get a decent laptop (at least 1.2Ghz) and write Open Sourced software to do what my former employers had been doing. Then port it to as many platforms, databases, etc, that I can. Sound like a plan?