Abstract
This article identified three combinations of hardware and database software for multiuser applications: mainframe or minicomputer-based, microcomputer network with first generation LAN database, and microcomputer network with a client-server database. It compares their desirability on five “: decision variables”: power, cost effectiveness, number of users, comfort, and control. Main-frame computers scored lower than network computing. Both networks combinations offer power, cost effectiveness, comfort and control, but the client-server LAN database architecture is emerging as the one of choice, particularly as the number of users increases. They offer a combination of computing power, ease of use, and new functionality which promises to release marketing from the confines of the mainframe world.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.