DBMS, December 1997
I am an avid reader of DBMS magazine because it covers not only data-related issues but also application architectures. I read Stewart McKie's article "Integrating Electronic Commerce," in the September 1997 Internet Systems issue. Typically, articles on electronic commerce discuss security and cryptography. This article is one of the first to talk about the importance of the infrastructure required to build electronic commerce applications. The importance of an infrastructure to support very high transaction rates and provide scalability cannot be emphasized enough.
Satyam Bheemarasetti
satyam@poboxes.com
I have been testing both products in order to set the standard in my company. I agree with you that ERwin seems to be more powerful in database synchronization. I think that ERwin has better reverse-engineering capability too, particularly with triggers and stored procedures. On the other hand, PowerDesigner is a more user-friendly product and is less resource-consuming. PowerDesigner's interface offers a more comfortable environment, while ERwin lacks basic features. For example, when you click on any object (Entity, Relationship) and then populate information about it, aligning the objects becomes difficult. Similarly, when you double-click on a relationship, the relationship editor doesn't present the tables involved. Logic Works (the maker of ERwin) needs to improve the user interface in order to make it more user-friendly and easier to learn. Powersoft (the maker of PowerDesigner) needs to work more closely with the other database vendors, such as Informix and Oracle, in order to offer native drivers and improve the versioning and reverseengineering capabilities.
Ing. Melvin Perez Cedano
cam@codetel.net.do
Editor's Note: Please see Robin Shumacher's reviews of ERwin 3.0 and PowerDesigner 6.0 in the October 1997 issue of DBMS.
I very much enjoyed Maurice Frank's editorial "Fear of Java" (From the Editor, October 1997). I would like to point you and your readers to The Java Lobby at www.javalobby.org. It is a group that was formed to present the developers' point of view to the parties that have some say in Java's future. The group sent a letter to Microsoft, asking the software developer to change its position with respect to Java, and to support the cross-platform standards. A copy of the letter is posted on the site for public review. I might also add that the Lobby is neither anti-Microsoft nor pro-Sun. The Lobby does not align itself with any corporate interest. I encourage readers to take a look at what The Java Lobby is all about, and if the mission statement sounds like something that you are interested in, join the group. It's free, although volunteers are always welcome to help the cause.
Chris Woods
cjwoods@gigotech.net