Easy migration for
existing users
-
Client/Server
model
-
Customisable
User Interface
-
'Best of breed'
development products
-
Industry standard
database
-
Non-proprietary,
scalable operating system
-
Flexible Network
Connectivity
Easy migration for
existing users
It was a paramount
design consideration that Talisman7 can be run alongside previous versions
to enable an easy transition for existing users. Talisman can be set
to update both databases. This gives the user the choice of moving to
the new software when they choose.
Client/Server model
After
extensive analysis and testing, including development of Visual Basic
client applications for customers Beacon chose a browser to provide
the client interface.
With
a browser interface no processing takes place on the client PC thus
low cost PC's can be used on the desktop and the design of the application
can be more flexible and is easier to change to accommodate user requirments.
It is also much easier to ensure the integrity of the data, which is
only updated when the "UPDATE" button is pressed. Thus if
the system 'goes down' it is less likely that a restore will be needed
and much easier to do, if it should prove necessary. The browser interface
also enables a more intuitive approach for the user as it is easy to
use hyperlinks to move around the system
Customisable
User Interface
Talisman7 uses Microsoft's
Internet Explorer browser to provide the user interface. This means
that the
screen colours, font and text labels can be easily changed by the user
system administrator who can also set security levels and choose what
information is shown and whether a user can update it. A company logo
can also be added to personalise the screen displays.
'Best of breed'
development products
Beacon
have experience of using many software development tools including C,
C++, Visual basic, Perl, Java and Javascript. For the re-development
of Talisman it was decided to use Perl as the main development tool
and XML and Javascript. The choice of these tools has enabled Talisman7
to be developed in a little over an elapsed year. To provide additional
performance Talisman has recently been ported to use modPerl. This uses
re-entrant code which has great benefits for larger numbers of users
and provides very fast response to user requests.
Industry
standard database
The
file handler used is MySQL an industry standard database supporting
the SQL query language. MySQL is an extremely performant low cost database
which also offers a fast response to searches on non-key fields.
Non-proprietary,
scalable operating system
Talisman
historically was developed on HP/UX it was also available on other mainstream
Unix operating systems. Although originally Unix was not proprietary,
the various manufacturers versions (Solaris, AIX, SCO, Unixware, HP/UX,
etc) became increasingly so. Linux however is open systems and therefore
non-proprietary. It offers the stability, performance and scalability
of Unix at a lower cost of any other comparible system. It also enables
existing Talisman users to migrate to a Linux system without change.
Flexible
Network Connectivity
Linux
standard networking uses TCP/IP the same as the Internet. In fact 3/4
of Internet servers are Linux systems. Talisman7's browser interface
can be run on an Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) or
over the Internet without change. Talisman7 customers can therefore
choose the most appropriate connectivity to meet their performance and
cost criteria. It also means that access to Talisman7 can be given to
staff working off-site, clients or candidates.
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