licensing

[birongirl]

This may be a silly question but its my first attempt at creating a product for others.

If I want to use VB.net to create a marketable application (I am thinking about using it with mySQL), what are the licensing limitations? Do I have to pay $$$ to microsoft for a special license to create/distribute the app developed with Vb.net?

I am hoping to modularize so that I am Not embedding mySQL within VB.net code, but I'm not certain yet.

Any help or redirection would be appreciated. Thanks...

[szlamany]

You can freely distribute programs you develop in VB - that's the whole point.

Personally I would choose MS SQL instead of mySQL - MS SQL developers edition is cheap (like $50 dollars) and you can distribute a free "database engine" with your product - MSDE.

[birongirl]

Thanks! I was not aware of that. (Obviously ) I actually am much more familiar with MS SQL. Guess its time to get started :

I'm sure I'll be posting more as I move along.

[szlamany]

We install software all over New England - what kind of experience do you have?

[birongirl]

funny you ask . I looked at your profile. I have a similar history. Long and varied history actually. I started in MIchigan with VAX VMX + Britton Lee database (using IQL) . Also did some Unisys. And some datacomm/networking. Then moved to SA TX. Worked on oldoldold systems for military acount for about a year then moved on to another company in SA. Did IBM Cobol/PL1/DBMSII, some rule-based stuff etc. Most of my professional experience was mainframe while working for large corporations. I was lucky and a majority of my experience was also new development. I've been involved from inception thru implementation (analysis, design, prog, testing, training, all of it) on several pretty nice projects. We even 're-engineered' one of our systems using object-oriented concepts - in Cobol if you can believe that, back when re-engineering was a new concept for legacy systems etc. i"ve worked on a 'Lisa', with Unix and even 'dataEase' yikes!! Have I dated myself sufficiently yet???
(Just for the record, the varied experience was thru working for only 3 organizations. I did not job hop yearly. )

Currently, i'm in retirement of a sorts. I moved again, this time to New York. Went back to school fulltime. I am now a physical therapist working with children with severe developmental disabilities in the school system. What, say you!!!!!!???? And I make less now than I did my first job in IT mega-years ago.

However, I just can't seem to completely leave my roots. I still spend a majority of my free time on the computer. I have learned much about PC's, networking, hardware, and software on my own and with my very knowledgeable boyfriend's help. I play with VB, VS, asp.net, PHP, SQL (personal favorite ) and whatever else I can get my hands on.

I've wanted to somehow incorporate some of what i've learned/my past with what I do now. I am thinking about automating a tool for (school-system) therapy goal writing. I've found some out there but of course, am thinking of something slightly different.

I work for a not-for-profit educational organization and asked to participate in a current endeavor to look at automating some of the massive amounts of paperwork they require. I was told, 'thank you but its a committee by invite only' with a big smile from my boss. 10+ years of free experience they passed up. Typical of where I work (where I work for now...)

Soooo.... I decided I'd just create something outside of work and market it myself, if it works out. Now, MAYBE... I will provide a copy for my work to use if they're nice... they are non-profit you know. We'll see.

My boyfriend has said he'll help me out as well. He is basically self-taught and very good at whatever he puts his mind to. He created a website using visual studio/VB/asp.net totally self-taught (we did learn VB 6 in a class but its very different from VB.net/VS, IMO.) Here's his website: buffalogamers.com

Sorry you asked??? Sorry! Very long answer to a simple question

[szlamany]

Very interesting. Thank you.

We develop software for K-12 school districts - attendance, scheduling, report cards - the whole mix. We've even done "objective based" IEP systems for special ed.

...since 1980.

We have installed customers from Anchorage to Arizona to Calgary - Ontario - all over Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania - Connecticut, Massachusets.

We also do personnel, payroll, budgetting for schools and towns - tax collection. And our biggest customer is a labor union - self insured, so we process medical claims, pay retirees, collect employer contributions.

I've had partners (that stinks) - college kids (very green) - high school kids (either ambitious/talented or extremely lazy). My current pair of HS kids are off to Virginia Tech in two months - leaving me with no programming assistance.

That was actually the reason for my question - we are in southern CT - your location being north-east caught my eye.

[birongirl]

What you do sounds very interesting. I'm a little too far away to be of any help I"m sure. I'm not at a point where I'm comfortable with making commitments for others outside of my main work right now either. Its ok if I get behind on my own projects, not someone else's.

IEP's. Those are right up my alley. We have an IEP for each and every child in our school, and IFSP's as well for the little ones. And right now, 'WORD' is it. We work with somewhere around 44 local school districts and it gets very crazy certain times of year. Our clerical staff owns our data once we submit reports. Once I submit my report I'm not allowed to even view it anymore. I have to ask them to print it or copy/paste it to a shared area. I've had reports deleted from the computer once they've printed them out in order to 'save space'. Very backwards thinking sometimes .

What I want to do is a bit different (or at least I think it is). I want to make goal writing easier without losing flexibility and ability for very individualized goals. We'll see. I don't think I'll even try to incorporate all the other typical elements of a special ed environment/IEP. Too much for one individual to take on in a reasonable amount of time. But i will try to allow for 'connecting' my piece with other systems.

Sound crazy? I won't know till I get started. If i get this going in a timely manner maybe I'll upload some of it for review and critique. (I am waiting for some new software before I get started.) I think I"ll search for MS SQL right now. I only have a demo package at the moment. I had no idea it could be found for as little as $50.

Thanks for your input and interest! Good luck finding some decent long term support!