Why is MetNetMaker written in MS Access and VBA?
In writing MetNetMaker I have learnt that MS Access is a long way from being the perfect database and that VBA is a long way from being a perfect development language. Nevertheless, I have not come across any better way of writing an application so closely tied to a database. Cross platform development in languages like Java are aimed at people with a lot of programming experience and I passionately believe that programming needs to be more integrated into the way Biologists work if we’re going to make real progress across disciplines. When I started my PhD, I had not written an application or used anything more than a very simple database before. Access provides a well-supported and well-documented graphical introduction to SQL and theories in relational databases and provides a way to build GUI applications on top of those databases. Perhaps most importantly it runs in the MS Access 2007 or 2010 runtime providing a stable and well-supported base for the software to run on.
