Need help in a project on PDA

[NurAzije]

Best Regards,
I am a php developer, have worked on websites for more than 6 years, I
work with a company on a project, now we have a new project and I must
give the best solution on how we can do that project ..
The Project:
A big company works on exporting and importing from and to Europe, it
has a big number of employees, and want to implement a new technology
in their work, they want to give every one a small PDA, mostly I think
a windows embeded PDA, the procedure they expect to have is as folows,
they will have a big server in the HQ, this server will have the whole
data on it, a huge database about what is going on the field in theory,
now the PDA's they are with emplyees which move along the placeses the
luggage is there.
Now every employee will check every thing on the site, and then return
to the HQ on the end of the day, there he will connect the PDA with the
main server and compare if everything on site is ok as in theory and
papers by a system installed on the server automaticly. It also may be
wireless connection..
The Problem:
Our company will make a small system which will manage that proccess,
we will put the database server we want and program the software as we
want, the only problem is what to use as a databse and in which
programming language is better to make the system, some told me to use
ASP.NET, and others J2EE becouse of the PDA's, so I thought if it can
be made on the net by simple PHP, maybe it can also made on PDA's by
PHP using MySQL or Oracle..
Please help me..
Hope to find a good solution by You people..

Regards,
NurAzije

[Kenneth Downs]

NurAzije wrote:

Our company will make a small system which will manage that proccess,
we will put the database server we want and program the software as we
want, the only problem is what to use as a databse and in which
programming language is better to make the system, some told me to use
ASP.NET, and others J2EE becouse of the PDA's, so I thought if it can
be made on the net by simple PHP, maybe it can also made on PDA's by
PHP using MySQL or Oracle..
Please help me..
Hope to find a good solution by You people..

Regards,
NurAzije

You do not decide which database to use based upon the user interface. You
choose the database for its ability to handle data. PostgreSQL is a good
free database, then there are the big 3 commercial from Oracle, IBM and MS.
Finally there is MySQL, which is missing some crucial features, but which
is popular with people who don't need them or don't know they need them.

Once you've decided on the database, you google "php wml". It will tell you
how to do the pages that work on smaller devices like pda's and cell
phones.

--
Kenneth Downs
Secure Data Software, Inc.
(Ken)nneth@(Sec)ure(Dat)a(.com)

[Colin McKinnon]

NurAzije wrote:

The Problem:
Our company will make a small system which will manage that proccess,
we will put the database server we want and program the software as we
want, the only problem is what to use as a databse and in which
programming language is better to make the system, some told me to use
ASP.NET, and others J2EE becouse of the PDA's, so I thought if it can
be made on the net by simple PHP, maybe it can also made on PDA's by
PHP using MySQL or Oracle..
Please help me..
Hope to find a good solution by You people..

PHP is an excellent choice. I've not tried compiling for Windows CE but for
Linux, PHP5 including SQLite in a stripped binary weighs in about 1Mb. Of
course you'll need to find a webserver to run on the PDA and drive the
browser. AIR there's at least one out there written in PHP.

HTH

C.

[NurAzije]

I'll probably use PostgreSQL or MySQL ..
Thank you for advice,
I am not sure if I need XML for the data transfer or not, and do I need
to make a localhost on every PDA or just connect to the main site by
some sort of software.. ??

[Good Man]

"NurAzije" <nu******@gmail.com> wrote in news:1115413472.914845.272310
@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

I'll probably use PostgreSQL or MySQL ..
Thank you for advice,
I am not sure if I need XML for the data transfer or not, and do I need
to make a localhost on every PDA or just connect to the main site by
some sort of software.. ??

you're thinking of putting a database on each and every PDA? I don't even
think that's possible at this point.

aren't your users connecting to the web *via* their PDAs?

[Kenneth Downs]

NurAzije wrote:

I'll probably use PostgreSQL or MySQL ..
Thank you for advice,
I am not sure if I need XML for the data transfer or not, and do I need
to make a localhost on every PDA or just connect to the main site by
some sort of software.. ??

The PHP page pulls the data, turns it into WML, sends it to the browser.

No XML needed.

--
Kenneth Downs
Secure Data Software, Inc.
(Ken)nneth@(Sec)ure(Dat)a(.com)

[Daniel Tryba]

Good Man <he***@letsgo.com> wrote:

I am not sure if I need XML for the data transfer or not, and do I need
to make a localhost on every PDA or just connect to the main site by
some sort of software.. ??

you're thinking of putting a database on each and every PDA? I don't even
think that's possible at this point.

Surely it's possible, synchronizing pocket access databases was possible
in 2001 when I last used a PocketPC with activesync. IMHO such a setup
is the preferred way, one can use the PDA to to whatever is needed
without being online.

[NurAzije]

I need to synchronize the data from the PDA to the Server without a Web
Connection, I will implement a system for the web connection way, it is
easy, but what I'm wondering how to do it without net, I thought about
another way, I thought to make a small Flash-made application, which
will manipulate with files, save the data on an external file the send
it through the network ( or whatever so ) to the main server, there
there will be a PHP code which will recieve the file with the data and
save it to the database..
What do you think ??

[madmaster]

Holla everybody,

Haven't you got any idea about PHP-GTK?
Once run on the PDA you can make a desktop application again by means
of PHP :)

The PLUS is you can still use PHP and place a Database server there.

The problem might be the process of compilation of the bundle for the
PDA...

[NurAzije]

Can I make a desktop application by PHP ??
I know how to do one by the localhost-thing, but it stills local web,
but as a desktop application, can I ?

[Weird-beard]

You need not to code the application for the client, nor wml, as far as
I know. Plain HTML is adequate, as PDA's can display html based pages.
You should develop a standart application, using a web server, php and
a db (mysql is adequate, if the data to be kept is not so big, if it is
use postgresql, as mysql is fast on smal databases (small could differ
from what you think as small), and postgre is better on bigger ones).
Your pda should have wifi capabilities, so that you can connect to the
network using an adapter on the pda and a receiver. The distance is
important, so you should check for the working distance and build the
system accordingly. There is an opensource db engine for palmOne's on
sourceforge, if the client needs db too. U wont be able to use mysql,
postgresql or oracle I guess. (Depending on the palm, of course.)

You cannot use infrared nor bluetooth I guess, wifi is the best choice
in my opinion.

So, as a conclusion,

1. Choose the pda
a. One with wifi that can logon to network, and has a good working
distance limit
b. One that has browser support
2. Code using php & web server on a pc
3. Connect to network, request the data

Though, the html and wml thing should be looked into, as I am not 100%
sure that html will work, but I remember so.

If you think of doing things on the client side, using palmOne's
products you should develop using C++ and palmos developer suite, using
some other product that uses Windows CE you can look into .net or smth,
maybe u can use php gtk but dont think you will find any recources for
developing php gtk on palms.

Contact me if you need further info, I will be happy to reply.

I would be glad to work on the project, if professional help is needed.

[NurAzije]

How much such a project for just programming can cost ??