If you have time to discuss a little project dilema please join and tell your opinion

[frenk_castle]

For those of you who didn't read any of my posts here is a little recap of me and my projects. You can skip the second paragraph it is there only if somebody would like more details.

I have an M.D. in electrical engineering. My main field during college was electronics, embedded systems and microcontrollers. I have moderate knowledge of assembler, ISO C and ISO C++ and STL. I am let say advanced novice in Qt and moderate novice in .NET. I done some simple programs using Visual C++, and C#. I currently work in IT department of the Printing division for the national Telecommunications company.

Project that I am currently working on is an application for generating working orders. The premade excel tables we are using right now are outdated. We have a client server application that was developed years ago, years before I started working, by a former employ using Visual basic and a database in Access. It is a job monitoring application. We use it for our internal administrations of jobs. What jobs need to be done, parameters and specifications for each job. Every employ can, depending on his/hers clearance level access the jobs and do modifications. Mark the printing for the job done, change parameters and so on.

My wish is when I finish the application for generating working order is to try and create new up to date program for our internal administration and job monitoring. I would like to integrate in some way the application for generating working orders in the monitoring application because main problem we have right now is that technicians can't get enough details from job monitoring application. We have many preprinted paper we use for many internal and external clients many different envelopes. Point is we print only one copy of working order and keep it in our archive. Chief technicians read it and then have to go and tell technicians how to do each job. It is time consuming and error prone. My idea is to integrate working order in monitoring application so that every technician can read the job specifications at any time.

What I have at my disposal to server this final product on is a computer which have Windows XP and that is currentlly among other things server for our monitoring application. I have three ideas how to do this and would like to hear your thought. You could help me find the optimal solution.

One idea is to write client server aplication using Qt. Make database in Access, or Microsoft SQL if that can be done using some express like application that is license free or somerhing else. Database is currentlly my weak spot since I never did any serious database related programing.

Pros: Application for generating working order, that is in design phase, will be integrated easily in the monitoring application. Least learning to be done on my part and the shortest time for completing the project.

Cons: Even with open source and good documentation that I will provide none of my colleges have any knowledge of C++ so later updates might be problem if I change company or department. This is not that big con because I am basically only decent programmer here so no matter they will probably have problems to update anything without me.

Second idea is to write a client server application or web application using C# and Visual studio express. Database will again be either Access or some Microsoft license free SQL or something else that is license free.

Pros: Support under Windows is good. Writing applications like this using .Net is not hard. My colleges have elemental knowledge of C# and it will be slightly less difficult for them to update code. No client part for web application every thing is done from the browser.

Cons: I will have to rewrite the application for generating working order in order to integrate it in monitoring application. More learning to be done on my part, which is not a problem since I plan to learn this anyway, but longer time till application is complete.

Third idea is to make a web application using Apache, PHP and MySQL. This is all license free and works well together.

Pros: No client programs. Every thing will be done from browsers.

Cons: I will again have to rewrite application for generating work order in order to make it part of monitoring application. I managed to make Apache, PHP and MySQL run under Linux but so far failed under Windows. Again more learning on my part, which I plan to do anyway, but longer time till application is complete. Nearly impossible for my colleges to update anything without me no matter how well documented the whole project is.

Keep in mind three things. First computer which is currently a server for our application is used for other stuff to so it will be best to pick a solution which will put the least amount of pressure on this server computer but rather put the most work on client computers. Second our database which is in Access will have to be copied in some form to the new database since we will need those data. Third beside Windows we have license for Microsoft Office package 2003 and some other programs which are irrelevant in this case. Basically besides Access any other software I use for this must be license free.

Sorry if I was to long. If anybody have time to share some ideas please do. You could help me decide was is the optimal course of action.

Thank you in advance.

[frenk_castle]

I have had long talks with some programmers that I know and decided my course of action. I want to thank everybody who read this post. I knew from the start that this was a difficult question and that I probably won't get any answers but I wanted to try anyway. This forum was a great help to me so far. When this applications I am working on are done this forum will be listed among all those who helped me.