Hi Thomas,
I work in a different industry (maintenance management) but am in a "boat" more or less like you. I still support some customers but do not get new ones. And the existing customer drop my services every year.
When I have 0 customers, I will work 0% of the time :)
I hope your eyesight does not get worse.
>Hi Dmitry,
>due to changes in the book-branch where I work I lost a lot of customers who disappeared from the market. Only one customer is left and that turned out to be real luck. I am working now more than 30 years for this customer who was overtaken by another company about 5 years ago. They are replacing my app (ERP/POS) which bookshops rent from them by an own app but they need much more time than they planned. So my software is still running with approx. 90 shops but gets only smaller improvements. Which means that I work only 50% and am able to reduceit next year to 305. Which is a win-win-situation as my eyesight got real worse and I have to spend more time on the phone than before a screen. So my retirement happans piece by piece and my software and me will finish at the same time, in about 3 years.
>Best regards
>Thomas
>
>>Hi Thomas,
>
>>The key in your message is "retirement." This is something that >makes me think hard if I want to start a new development. I >too would like to retire next year (if possible). But since I am a >one-man shop, the customers will be in a dire straits if I do.
>
>>Hi Dmitry,
>>
>>We started with a web-based app written with ASP. But as my customers many customers (shops) he found it too complcated to install a IIS in every shop.
>>For some other customers we realized an app (then for Windows CE) which calls another app (VFP-Server) on a server via proprietary TCP/IP-connection. I haven't done this with android yet and as my retirement is coming nearer I guess I won't.
>>
>>Best regards
>>
>>Thomas
>>
>>
>>Thank you, Thomas.
>>I still consider creating a web-based app. I only wish that the smart phones would be able to have some kind of "internal" browser that would not need the connection to the server. That is, so that a page would run on a smart phone without internet or intranet.
>>But I also consider developing an app like you did.
>>Thank you.
>>
>>>Hi Dmitry,
>>>I used VS 2019, the free community edition.
>>>Best regards
>>>Thomas
>>>
>>>>Hi Thomas,
>>>>What VS version you use when developing your app with the >Xamarin?
>>>>Thank you.
>>>
>>>>Hi Dmitry,
>>>>
>>>>with Xamarin you can develop parllel für Android and IPhone.
>>>>I never did it because I only needed one app für a special zebra-device, basically a smartphone with a good barcode-reader.
>>>>When I started developing it I hadn't been working with C# but
>>>>it was easier than I thought. There were some fine tutorials from Microsoft which shoew sone basisc like how one form call another one.
>>>>But I think there is one think to be aware of. In Xamarin you can call device-dependent code what I did on using ftp to transfer the data.
>>>>
>>>>Best regards
>>>>
>>>>Thomas
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Your approach is interesting. However, I would prefer an app >that would work on both the Android and iPhone. This is why >web-based seems to be more practical (for me).
>>>>>But what caught my attentions is that you collect the data on >the hand-held device using sqlike-db.
>>>>>I will need to explore how easy or difficult it is to install this on >an Android or iPhone.
>>>>>Again, thank you for your input.
>>>>
>>>>>I donÄt know if this might help you but for inventory check I have written an Android App which collects data in a sqlite-db and sends it via ftp to a server where it is processed by my vfp-application. The hardware used is from Zebra. The app is written in C# using Xamarin and it wasn't too complicated.
>>>>>
>>>>>Best regards
>>>>>
>>>>>Thomas
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>>Years ago I had a very smart guy from Bulgaria develop an app for me that worked on Motorola MC55 and allowed customers to process work orders on this app and then upload the data to my VFP/SQL application. I did the upload part, he developed the app on the Motorola MC55. This app worked very well (except it was a pain for me to maintain the hardware).
>>>>>In any event, the Motorola MC55 do not work any more because they (MC55 devices) had an older MS OS that no longer works with Window 7 or later.
>>>>>Ideally I would like the app to be working on either iPhone or Android (so that I do not have to support the hardware).
>>>>>
>>>>>Anyone developed an app on iPhone/Android that works with VFP application? If yes, what language you used? Or was it web-based? Any information would be helpful.
>>>>>
>>>>>TIA