Setup disks for DOS modules / Launcher, anyone?

[harryeds]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have any setup disks for Launcher or for any of the old DOS SIMS modules? If so, I'd be eternally grateful for a copy of them. I used to use Timetable Construct (TTCONSTR.EXE) to do the timetables, and although I'm fully conversant with Nova and aware that TTCONSTR cannot be used to create a timetable recognised by SQL, I'd still like to have the use of it back for nostalgia purposes. Similar scenario with Launcher; we still have Launcher on our SIMS server but our support team have locked us out of it (I'm sure some of you will appreciate why I object to this!)

 

BTW: I'm ICT/SIMS manager in our school - I have no intention of reinstalling Launcher to gain access to it but I would like to set up a new instance of it on a standalone machine.

 

Please get in touch if you can help!!

 

Harry

Edited September 20, 2009 by harryeds

[Jeremy69]

we still have Launcher on our SIMS server but our support team have locked us out of it

 

I'm surprised you put up with this. Why should support determine which bits of the database you can get at?

Although I no longer have any disks(sorry) we keep Launcher going because occasionally we need to see information in the archive which is not available in Sims.net. Sounds as if support are doing this to suit themselves and having one station that can access Launcher would be prudent

[matt40k]

I'm surprised you put up with this. Why should support determine which bits of the database you can get at?

Although I no longer have any disks(sorry) we keep Launcher going because occasionally we need to see information in the archive which is not available in Sims.net. Sounds as if support are doing this to suit themselves and having one station that can access Launcher would be prudent

 

Eh? If you still need it, why wasn't it imported\upgraded?

[Mcshammer_dj]

We have schools with Launcher for some of the historical data that was not converted to SQL.

 

All our site still have the wssetup folder in the SIMS share. This has all the files to allow Launcher to be configured

[nicholab]

free dos?

[harryeds]

I'm surprised you put up with this. Why should support determine which bits of the database you can get at?

Although I no longer have any disks(sorry) we keep Launcher going because occasionally we need to see information in the archive which is not available in Sims.net. Sounds as if support are doing this to suit themselves and having one station that can access Launcher would be prudent

 

I phoned up our SIMS support team today and requested Launcher access. I was put through to the manager of the SIMS team, who demanded to know WHY I wanted access to it and said that no schools in Bristol had access to Launcher and that if he enabled us to get into it we could "damage" existing data. How could accessing pre-SQL data possibly damage data held within the SIMS .net database?

 

Anyway, I told him I thought he had no right to lock us out of our own software and he said he would need a disclaimer from the head saying that we would pay for any damage to the data ourselves - he then phoned our very busy but very obliging headteacher and told her the same thing, and of course she believed him. I now have to convince her that what he says isn't the case - which I presume I'm correct in thinking?...

[p858snake]

I phoned up our SIMS support team today and requested Launcher access. I was put through to the manager of the SIMS team, who demanded to know WHY I wanted access to it and said that no schools in Bristol had access to Launcher and that if he enabled us to get into it we could "damage" existing data. How could accessing pre-SQL data possibly damage data held within the SIMS .net database?

 

Anyway, I told him I thought he had no right to lock us out of our own software and he said he would need a disclaimer from the head saying that we would pay for any damage to the data ourselves - he then phoned our very busy but very obliging headteacher and told her the same thing, and of course she believed him. I now have to convince her that what he says isn't the case - which I presume I'm correct in thinking?...

So why are all the schools data stored in one database? surely if its all in seperate databases it be harder/almost in possible to damage other schools data.

[Jeremy69]

I've never heard so much rubbish! When sims.net was created it took data from the old dbf database and put it into an SQL database. The old launcher programs still use the dbf database. I can think of dangers such as people having access and thinking that the data is up to date or can be edited and used but I don't believe there are any technical dangers and moreover it is needed if you want to get to exam results or address data from anyone who was archived in the old DBF version of STAR.

 

If this man is ringing your head to try and put the frightners on then he doesn't know his job. I can quite understand that it would not be supported but not that you could not access your own data!