Thoughts on Legacy Programs

Tonight we are learning of a further delay in the Palm survival machine. There are many out there acting like vultures as Palm circumvents shutting down. News reports opine on the injection of millions of dollars from an outside company, mainly to thwart a takeover of the company. Surprisingly, much of this is to be used to fund a special dividend. I guess I am in healthcare for a reason! I totally do not understand why any company that is having problems, would use VC money to fund stockholders or to just give a white knight more shares. Somehow, I imagined that this money could be used for R&D. But again, that's why I do what I do and the guys in suits do what they do.

So, while all of this is going on around us, I am left to think about the obvious. Whether or not Palm is acquired, becomes bankrupt and disappears, continues on this lukewarm pattern or excels beyond everyone's wildest dreams, there is something that will definitely happen within the next 24 months: We will have a new operating system!

Given this fact, it becomes a daunting task to imagine what will happen to mission critical software that presides on the Palm device. I ran an inventory check this weekend on just such a scenario and concluded that I was in good shape for any revision. I calculated that I had only 25% of my programs containing mission critical or non-mission critical data in formats that were unrecognizable by any other software out on the market now (...and yes, I had to include Microsoft's Windows CE/Mobile, just in case....).

However, one of the programs, SplashID is one that will need to have me purchasing the desktop version, just in case there is no operating system to use it on with the Palm. Naturally, a company such as SplashData is conscientious about its customers and I believe that it would only be a short period of time before they came out with a solution to this scenario.

Other programs, including several pregnancy programs, would require me to obtain other alternatives. However, most of my data is included in programs that already have SQL type properties and their data is easily converted into .csv or .txt files for entry into Excel or Access or Filemaker (Mac) or other database formats. Thankfully, these are my mission critical apps, where encryption for patient safety and ease of use come together. Without the possibility of portability, I would be in serious trouble.

Programs to seriously think about purchasing if you require Mission Critical databases and small programs are listed below. These programs save data in such a way that it can be ported over to another system, should the need arise:

1. HandBase.
2. Smartlistogo.
3. Database by Mobisystems.
4. Office Suite by Dataviz.
5. Office Suite by Mobisystems.


Software that may be tricky in this department:

1. SplashID. Although there are several ports of this program, I am uncertain whether they are all interchangeable ie. Is the key file useable on Mac, Windows, Palm, WinCE/Mobile?

Software to be really concerned about:

1. Proprietary formats for database files. There are a few pregnancy and inpatient programs that save patient files in a proprietary format. This will not port very well to another system and could become a major issue down the road as Palm upgrades its operating system.

2. Old Software. My old favorite, PregCalc would probably be obsolete. It was written during Palm OS 3.0 and it still works. But any migration to Linux without emulation, would probably see it vanish. Nevertheless, Nagel's rule is so pervasive and mathematical equations don't really change, it would only be a matter of time before the program was recreated. Same holds true for the truly tested MedCalc.


Bottom Line: Look out for Proprietary Formats as Palm begins its upcoming upgrade cycle. If at all possible, when thinking about database files, consider compatibility with Microsoft's Access and Excel standards. That way, no matter what operating system or Office Suite rolls around, you will be ready. Additionally, ensure that any backups of database files that you make, include two additional versions, particularly for spreadsheets ---- .CSV (Comma delimited), .TXT (plain text) and if possible, .XML. The latter provides some nice layout functionality, but is not as critical as the first two.

Additionally, in database files, always look out for relational fields when backing up the files to the above formats (What's that? Well, they are fields that are often calculated fields or fields that will only show up if something else in another field is present). These fields have a tendency of not always showing up when transferred to .csv, .txt and .xml and sometimes will only work if the database or excel file is very similar to the handheld version.

These are strange times and we must be prepared. I think it is only reasonable to think about the best and worse case scenarios. Whether or not this company survives, I have become dependent upon their hardware and software. Should Palm fail in its endeavours, there will be hundreds of thousands of health care workers walking around with Palm OS devices with mission critical data. This data will need to be ported to alternative systems. In addition, all data will need to be recovered, at least for the lagging 12 months. Conversely, should Palm succeed with a new Linux device, the same would hold true for porting the data to the new and improved 'next best thing.'

If you want proof of this, ask me why I'm not buying Apple's latest little machine?



LDD.



*** Addendum:

PalmDoc who runs a really wonderful blog Palmdoc Chronicles (palmdoc.net)
has informed me that Splashdata's SpashID main file is transferable to the Windows CE/Windows Mobile platform. A few others have stated that with the desktop version, this is also transferable to other platforms as well. This is very good to know. I really like this company. At first, I thought their products were a little expensive, but overall, the quality and consistency has been there for all of their products, not to mention support (However, I was at a loss when I did not get a reply in regards to the original question). But we can all rest assured that SplashID is transferable.

Thanks again PalmDoc.

LDD.