Hi John,

There are ways to make a connection persistent. I've included the Apache::DBI statement in my app and both the real version of the shopping cart and the demo version are using it. For Apache::DBI to control connections, mod_perl and the Apache.pm modules must be installed and working, so the app I finally distribute will have the Apache::DBI statement commented out. Then, anyone that purchases the app will have to decide whether to persist connections or not.

From the testing I've done, I can't notice any difference between whether I'm using Apache.pm or no, but I really don't have a way to stress the system to determine how well it handles under different loads.

In VFP using traditional file share, everyone on the network is connected into the DBC/tables, which requires more work from the client and server computers, even when no transactions are being performed. This can cause problems with indexes and program errors, even when using buffering, should the server go down or reset.

Also, there is no easy way to publish a fairly complex VFP app over the web without using custom com server, which are not nearly as well tested as script languages like VBA, PHP, and perl. Also, the VFP runtime is huge and require a lot of memory and can be prone to crashes. This can become a problem if a user needs to find an ISP to host the VFP com server. Most ISP are very confortable offering perl and php as standard items included in the monthly hosting fee.

Of couse the VFP file share has many advantages, which I will not get into here, but it dosen't offer any advantages from a three tier web app point of view.

I'm thinking about making the shopping cart app available on my server for a monthly fee. I would set it up on my server, and the user could link into it from there normal web server. I also might consider hosting web sites in connection with the shopping cart app. I would also install the app on a customer's server, or the customer's ISP server, for a fee. I'm trying to figure some why to make a nickel on the app. <bg>

Regards,

LelandJ