Thanks again for your comments. One last rebuttal then I have to move on. One of the reasons the VA failed when they tried to modernize parts of VistA was because no database platform could perform as well or was grossly lacking in functionality. There is much less vendor lock-in with MUMPS as there are at least 2 suppliers for compilers, one of which (GT.M) is open source. Is the same true about Oracle? Microsoft? Any of the others? I think not.

An analogy I've heard is that achieves a more accurate picture is that of the VistA system as a city that is being slowly rebuilt over time. This is what happens to all cities so that eventually the original buildings are gone or un-recognizable. Wholesale changes for there own sake are invitations to disaster. Fortunately, MUMPS and VistA are designed so that parts of the production system can be changed/modernized/upgraded/whatever as needed.

-- IV

How do you think about Cache'?