>My current employer has a Foxpro Unix enterprise system that I maintain. There are conversations now about upgrading vs. purchasing an off-the-shelf system vs. maintaining the status quo. Of course I want to advocation upgrading to an OOPS and writing it ourselves. I need to write a paper on why I think the company should do this.
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>Any suggestions you all might give me on 1) why a company should upgrade a procedural system to an OOPS and 2) why a company should build their own vs. purchase off-the-shelf would be greatly appreciated.
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>Thanks!
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>Rob

Rob;

What operating system will you be using and what development tools? What about hardware in use today vs when the system was first delivered? How much is the off the shelf system? What does the system do? Additional benifits expected with a new system?

I know the owners of the largest music literature store in Northern California. They have a system (DOS) that was delivered in 1986 and is still in use. Sometimes going to a new system is not required. If your company has a budget and a need I am sure we can suggest some good arguements.

Having the resource to write and maintain an in house application is not always possible. Off the shelf software never suits a business model so custom code has to be written. Budget and requirements are very important. This would take a dedicated person to create an application. That is in addition to what is required today.

Tom