front-end tool evaluation

I am doing a feasibility study for buying a new client/server tool for teaching information systems development for third year university/college students.

We are moving away from a DEC VAX/VMS character based 4GL tool (Cognos PowerHouse 4GL) to a MS Windows (+ Mac?) based tool.

I have developed small systems in all of the following systems, but I would like some constructive advice/comments from people who have used more than one of these systems for commercial projects. I am assuming 50+ concurrent users, 30+ tables, and moderate transaction rates.

Please do not slag off products you have never used or have little experience in. I will summerise the results of all responses in about two weeks.

Available Server databases include:

        Oracle Rdb 6.0 OpenVMS (AXP)
        Oracle7 7.0 DEC OSF/1 (AXP)
        Sybase System 10 OpenVMS (AXP)

Client Systems:
        Clone PCs - DX2-66, 16Mb RAM, MS WfW 3.11 (Netware 3.12 and NT 3.5)
        Apple Mac LC-2, 4Mb RAM, System7
        Apple PowerMacs

Potential Clients:
        MS Access 2.0
        MS Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition
        MS FoxPro 2.5 for Windows
        Borland Delphi
        Borland Paradox for Windows
        Borland dBase of Windows
        Oracle CDE-2
        Gupta SQLWindows 5 Corporate Edition
        Sybase PowerBuilder 4 Enterprise Edition

Thanx in advance

Doug Hood, BSc, BCom(Hons), CNA (DHOOD_at_OTAGO.AC.NZ) Department of Information Science
University of Otago
Dunedin
New Zealand Received on Sat Mar 11 1995 - 23:28:50 CET