Re: How to develop a PPC application

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r_z_aret_at_pen_fact.com
Date: 11/15/04 

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 18:32:44 -0500

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 13:08:56 -0500, "Chris Tacke, eMVP"
<ctacke@spamfree-opennetcf.org> wrote:

>Well it's certainly possible, and really not too complex. The question is
>what is your programming experience level. If you've never written code, it
>will be a huge challenge. If you've done enterprise apps, it'll be trivial.

Good answer. But I feel the urge/need to add.

First, a discussion of possible alternatives.

I think the most obvious is a meter. I have no idea how expensive or
realistic (regulations, installation time, ...) this might be. But I
assume a meter would be hard to beat for functionality. And that means
that any alternative needs to be much easier and/or less expensive to
be worth considering.

With all the cabs around, odds are pretty good that someone sells such
an app. I would check with professional associations and/or
magazines/journals aimed at cab drivers.

Buying an application that is almost right and adapting it can be
appropriate. Depending, of course, on actual costs of buying and
adapting. My favorite candidate is, of course, mine (see my signature
for more info). Definitely not our normal target, but I'm pretty sure
we can come at least close.

"Paul Macdonald" <ispartacus75@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:3vphp0tt6s1bumfrvjs8and6fdfurgtpu6@4ax.com...
> Hey everyone, hoping someone on here can either help me or point me in
> the right direction to where I can get help.
>
> I am a taxi driver and use my PPC along with TomTom 3 to find
> addresses and routes to destinations. Once I arrive at my destination
> I have to use a paper fare list to work oiut how much the fare to my
> passenger is.
>
> I would like to have a small piece of software on my PPC so that I can
> just punch in the mileage and it gives me the fare. The software would
> need to be able to accept 6 different fare lists (nighttime, bank
> holiday, christmas etc) and possibly be able to auto switch depending
> on the time/date by using the ppc's own calender (time of switching
> would have to be user defined as it differs between councils).

Be careful about overly automating, as in automatically switching fare
schedule. Done badly can be way worse than not done.

To add to your wish list: determine distance (from GPS) and time
automatically so you only need to indicate start and stop. While I
definitely believe in caution, I also thinking having a full wish and
thinking about _real_ requirements/wishes helps design an app that
works and delights.

>
> If possible I would also like it to archive each fare it gives so that
> book-keeping can be made a whole lot easier at the end of each month,
> even if all the figures are just outputted to an Excel file or
> something.

If the program stores data in comma-delimited files, many programs
(such as Excel and Access) will be able to read those same files.

>
> Is this something that would be possible or have I got more chance of
> growing horns?
>
> Thanks everyone
>
>
-----------------------------------------
To reply to me, remove the underscores (_) from my email address (and please indicate which newsgroup and message).

Robert E. Zaret, eMVP
PenFact, Inc.
500 Harrison Ave., Suite 3R
Boston, MA 02118
www.penfact.com

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