Re: Forms for entering data into postgresql

On 10/12/2013 6:15 PM, Chuck Davis wrote:
> For those of us who grew up on real computers the only appropriate way
> to get from one input field to the next is hitting the enter key. You

Well, I grew up with a real computer. There was no enter key on the 029
key punch; that only came along later for those spoiled kids who wanted
to use a C-R-T. But using keyboards and CRTs would hardly constitute
real computer use. Punch cards.

> know what that does in a browser...makes efficient data input
> impossible. NOBODY should have to hit the tab key to move the cursor to
> the next field. Using the mouse is insulting enough to move from one

That's a curious contention. The earliest 3270 had both dedicated tab
and back tab keys.

> drop down to the next (which can also be done by hitting the enter key
> in a real application). If you are a hunt-and-peck typist, of course,
> it probably doesn't make any difference.
>
> Stuff gets to the database by being input by somebody. For Accounts
> Payable (AP) that is usually a clerk who enters orders/invoices all
> day. There are many input fields involved for item, rate, units, etc.,
> etc. including sometimes lengthy descriptions. That's how stuff gets
> into the database and doing that in a browser is extremely tedious and
> VERY inefficient.

That's very one-dimensional thinking. A browser-based app can do
anything that a desktop app can do, especially with Ajax eliminating
round trip requirements.

If you want short hand command-line data entry like the Sabre system,
that can be provided in a browser app. But as others have pointed out,
browser apps have traditionally been targeted at broader audiences.

> For people who are only checking inventory, checking invoice status,
> order status, credit status, etc. a browswer interface is superb. Why
> bother writing a real application for something that trivial?
>
> The point is, use the right tool for the task. It's not always a
> browser and those who think so are showing their ignorance of a huge and
> varied technology world.

On that we agree.

--
Guy Rouillier