Article 10487 of comp.lang.perl: Xref: feenix.metronet.com comp.lang.perl:10487 Path: feenix.metronet.com!news.utdallas.edu!hermes.chpc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!ub!rutgers!carssdf!watson From: watson@carssdf.uucp (John Watson -- Self Empl. Sys.Integrator) Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl Subject: Re: Using Perl in significant applications - experiences? Message-ID: Date: 8 Feb 94 20:02:43 GMT References: <2iihd1INNb3m@ephor.tusc.oz.au> <2j4t30$611@bsdi.com> Organization: John Watson Co. System Integrator Lines: 47 >glenm@ephor.tusc.oz.au (Glen McCallum) writes: >> So, how about it? Has anyone done industrial-strength stuff with Perl? > I write all (98%) of my applications in perl. For the last two or three years I have done almost everything in perl. I use perl linked to DTREE by FairCom, an ISAM file & Screen Manager. The most industrial strength application is the Order Processing, Billing, A/R, Purchasing, Payables, Purchase Planning with Bill of Material etc... for a window manufacturer. This is quite a large application. They employ 250 people in 3 plants. SCO Unix is used on 5 machines with TCP and uucp connecting all. There are 100+ terminals and more than a dozen printers. All the documents and labels are printed on laser printers using perl to generate the HP escape sequences for bar codes, boxes and shading. Perl programs also translated the lj images to rll for the logo on the invoice and purchase documents. The ability "eval" is priceless when trying to do bill of material explosions. You see, many items are used according to a formula, 12 screws plus 1 for every 4 inches of width and 1 more for every 6 inches of height. This is an oversimplification. Things like desicant are measured by "united inch" measure. So when the purchasing manager wants to forcast next years usage of pan head 3/8" plated #6 screws he runs a program that takes the production estimates of sizes of windows to be produced of each model and the program gives counts in 45 min. The eval allows a very free form approach to be used in the formulas. Things like the bit intensive conversion of lj to g3 formats for the fax acknologements are still done in C. It was contributed here on the net anyway. A more mundane system that runs 18 Automotive Retail Tire Stores marketed in the East US, is now 80% perl. Not nearly as complex as the window factory, but just as easy to maintain. The real key to success is marying ISAM files -- perl -- Screen Management. I get the capability to drop into a perl subroutine on any field to check validity of an entry. It's been 6 years now, and I don't think 2 people could have done all this without a power tool like perl. (small plug, things are pretty slow these days and if anything here sounds like something you would like done for you please ask.) This FairCom software used here is licensed material, priced around $1000US, the last time I asked. Any one that has Faircom Dtree V3.1 G2 9/91 is welcome to my perl interface and samples from any area he likes. John Watson watson%carssdf@rutgers phone 908-560-0255