Re: Are Oracle GUIs causing a decline in DBA salaries?

Karsten Farrell wrote:

> Now this is more like it ... a real flame!

(Hey, if you're looking for a flame war, I'll try to help. I'm not very good at it though.)

> wizofoz2k_at_yahoo.com.au said...
> > Karsten Farrell <kfarrell_at_belgariad.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.191701b35d952fc898975b_at_news.la.sbcglobal.net>...
> >
> > > I'm sorry, but I must be missing something here.
> >
> > You definitely are...
>
> Yeah, and my hearing is getting worse ... and I need my bifocals to read
> this. Of course, I have to use the large icons on the toolbar of my
> newsreader.

They do make larger monitors these days. (I try not to wear my bifocals too often. <g>)

> >
> > > Why are GUI users
> > > equated with unskilled, rank amateurs?
> >
> >
> > Who said they were?
>
> Well, I kinda got the feeling that everyone was.

There are 10 kinds of GUI users in the world*. Those that understand what they are doing, and those that use the blind-folded point and click under the assumption that the GUI developer is smart.

> > > Why is something that makes my
> > > job easier a bad thing?
> >
> > Who said it made your job easier? Ah, the vendor
> > of the GUI tool... Of course!
>
> Actually, yes. As a matter of fact, they did say that in the ads. But
> you know what? I agree with them.

At least one company has made a great deal of $ convincing people that GUI is easier ...... and therefore cheaper, requires less training and requires less skill.

I can certainly understand that GUI >>can be<< easier (except on the wrist). The rest, however is not automatic no matter how many idiots believe it so.

In general it is MUCH more expensive in the additional resources required - every stopped to look at the percent CPU wasted in supporting graphics mode? In the less disciplined, it also supports the development of very sloppy habits.

> <snipped rest of the comments about the vendor telling me so>
>
> > > And in many cases, using a GUI does allow a DBA to do some tasks in half
> > > the time.
> >
> > Prove it. Or are you trying to tell me that
> > an "alter tablespace add datafile" runs faster
> > if it is started by a GUI?
>
> Uh, no, I'm not trying to tell you that. The command, once it reaches
> Oracle, doesn't run any faster or slower based on what tool I used on
> the client side. But a GUI tool does help me - admittedly, only
> sometimes - diagnose a problem quicker or see what needs to be fixed
> more easily.
>
> Just a couple of examples -- there's the nice graphic in OEM that shows
> the percent of tablespaces used (much easier to get a quick overview
> than looking at the actual numbers in a command-line query against the
> data dictionary). There are all those graphs in the OEM Performance Pack
> that give, in my opinion, a clearer picture of the "health" of various
> portions of the database.
>
> But there are times when the GUI gets in my way. I never use the Net8
> Assistant. Much quicker for me to jump into tnsnames.ora with vi and
> copy/paste. And I don't know how anyone ever used the Oracle Terminal
> GUI to setup vt220 character-mode terminal emulators.

A GUI is a visual tool and as such comes with all the benefits and limitations of visual perception. Video compression is much easier than audio compression - since there is visual retention, you only need to keep the change from the previous frame. Same thing here, a glance will tell when something deviates from standard visual memory.

I contend: GUIs are great for monitoring - anyone who uses command line for monitoring is missing something. GUIs are lousy for implementing, unless the user is a semi-trained monkey.

> >
> > > This idea that "real men don't use GUIs" is an old myth.
> >

"Real men know their tools and use the right one at the right time."

>
> > Oh, I've been in touch with my feminine side for
> > a looooong time! :)

> Cool!

/Hans
(to take a line from you Karsten: DBA > architect > retired > consultant)

*There are 10 kinds of people in the world -those that understand binary and those that don't. Received on Tue Apr 29 2003 - 12:31:58 CDT