Ed & John:

I guess "using the right tool" does not only apply to "VFP OR VB". I'm beginning to see a limitation to my knowledge here ... :o(

Mal


>>PMI, but my vote is neither. First off, Malcolm hasn't made clear where SQL Server is residing. Secondly, are these handhelds connected via a wireless LAN or is there a beginning of day/end of day reconciliation via hard wire or diskette?
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>>I have been through this exercise before and it wasn't a pretty one. My vote, assuming a server that is not any one of the aforementioned machines, is (gasp!) a CUI (yes CUI, not GUI) ASCII terminal as the main POS with the server running Linux or UNIX. No mess, no fuss. Less moving parts (no Windows), causing fewer goofy things like corrupted data when the clerk shuts down the POS without formally shutting down.
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>>My recommendation for the handhelds would have to wait for an explanation of their connectivity.
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>John, the hardware is spec'd, as is the rest of the platform. My original reaction to the 'handheld' was that CE would put further restrictions on the development language if it ran as a thick client. When he said Win9x, I said give it memory and test the APM. I didn't say I'd do it that way.
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>I might well look at a thin client implementation with WTS. It's too late to say he's got the wrong stuff; all he can hope to do is survive the environment he's in.
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>Remember, I've done the handheld thing myself for warehouse apps, with CE-based systems acting as data collectors, and only periodic connectivity...