[Info-vax] Building for Customers, Revenue

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk wrote 2014-09-14 11:10:
> On Sunday, 14 September 2014 08:53:36 UTC+1, David Froble  wrote:
>> JF Mezei wrote:
>>
>>> On 14-09-13 13:52, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>>
>>>
>>
>>>> Um, call me back when VMS is close(r) to OS X or Windows in terms of
>>
>>>> applications and features and system hardware support, when the costs
>>
>>>> are known?   Then we'll chat.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Consider business applications, manufacturing plants and other
>>
>>> specialised situations where you want a "personal computer" but not a
>>
>>> desktop software.
>>
>>
>>
>> You're talking about a specific tool, not a PC.
>>
>>
>>
>>> For instance, aircraft assembly. Worker scans part serial number,
>>
>>> installs it on aircraft and then confirms that part has been installed.
>>
>>> (very important process so that an aircraft's pedigree is fully known).
>>
>>>
>>
>>> You need a "desktop" but not desktop applications or standard file formats.
>>
>>
>>
>> Something more like a tablet, that runs apps that communicate with a server.
>>
>>
>>
>> Been there, done that.
>
> There's a school of thought that says there's no need for an
> actual 'desktop' (or even a 'PDA' or a tablet) to read barcodes
> etc in some of these setups, maybe just host connectivity for
> the scanner and maybe a simple screen.
>
> For these situations, the shop floor tool may benefit from
> being as dumb as possible, to minimise the risk of failures, data
> loss, tampering, etc.
>
> The central database box should be as robust as possible (same
> reasons).
>

We use ordinary handheld barcode scanners (Datalogic Gryphon) with
RS232 connected to Lantronix WiBox (2-port) WiFi terminal servers.
Processes on VMS stays in an QIOW read from the port and the code
does the database (Rdb) updates and send ACK/NACK back to the
scanner (different beep patterns).

We have a latency betwen the actual scan of the labels in the
assemblyy lines until the data is in Rdb in ms range. The longest
latency is on the 9600 baud RS232 line between the scanner and
the terminal server.

Extreemly robust! Both the scanner and terminal server has
pre-configured replacements on the shelf at the factory.



> As I'm sure you know, this kind of stuff used to be home ground
> for VMS, and still is home ground for many of the software houses
> that made these systems for VMS, but who have moved to shinier
> homes in the meantime.
>
> Not everyone wants this apparently 'low tech' kind of setup, but
> some do, perhaps alongside other tools (maybe PC based) for e.g.
> viewing work instructions etc on some 'desktop' thing which might
> well be PC-derived (where PC might include 'tablet').
>

Where the workplace needs a higher degree of interaction between
the VMS application and the operator, we use Datalogic Skorpio
handheld "terminals":

http://www.datalogic.com/eng/products/automatic-data-capture/mobile-computers/skorpio-x3-pd-337.html

The hand held terminal comes pre-configured with a VT-emulator so
they log in directly to the VMS system and the screen they see
at the handheld terminal is a usual VT-screen displayed by the
VMS application. Gives very low latency and we can use all
functionallity from the VMS environment in the application
they see at the terminal. Besides of the standard emulator,
there is no extra installed software on the terminal, so
they are quick and easy to replace if needed.


A very stable environment and we have extreemly few
support tickets on this environment.

/Jan-Erik



> As per my post late yesterday in response to Hoff in response to
> JF, some of the software houses doing this kind of stuff, and some
> of their smarter customers, *might* appreciate the opportunity to
> upgrade to something more robust than a Windows setup, IF the price
> was right and the offering was significantly more credible than
> VMS has been for the last few years.
>
> Have a lot of fun.
>