Data Based Advisor articles from August 1992

Data Based Advisor archives from August 1992

Dataline.
August 1, 1992... ORINDA, CA -- INTRO, a file manager front end included with WordTech Systems, Inc.'s Arago dBXL and written in the Arago language, is about to make an independent entry into the DBMs market. INTRO sports a CUA-compliant, menu-driven interface...

Let's communicate. (Editor on the Go) (Editorial)
August 1, 1992... When you travel as much as I do, comparison is unvoidable. Frequent fliers love to compare airline food, the number of landing bounces, luggage damage, and goofy schedules. Airports are easy to compare but impossible to avoid. Comparing...

Feedback. (Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 1992... What Price, Pirated Software? In "The High Price of Software Piracy in Europe" (March), Mike Lewis asks the question, "Why is piracy so prevalent?" He then points out two reasons: the current state of European copyright legislation and...

Sizzling apps with ProVision: Windows. (SofDesign International Inc.'s ProVision:Windows builds event-driven software applications) (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
August 1, 1992... ProVision: Windows is a sizzling new product from SofDesign International. A steal at $199, ProVision gives Clipper developers the means to build truly awesome event-driven applications without a great deal of effort. ProVision's...

JORF-classes for the masses. (The JORF Company's JORF 2.0 event-driven object-oriented programming program development software) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
August 1, 1992... If you need to write programs for DOS and Windows with the power of object-oriented programming (OOP), but without the complexity of C++, JORF 2.0 may be just what you've been looking for. In fact, this new shareware language interpreter is so...

T-Base simplifies images handling. (Videotex Systems Inc.'s T-Base 3.1 image processing software lets users add pictures to database applications) (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
August 1, 1992... If you want an easy way of adding pictures to your database application, T-Base 3.1 is worth a look. It's not a full-blown graphics library, nor does it provide any tools for creating or manipulating images. However, it make it easy for Xbase...

Checking DBF integrity. (ExtendBase Systems' EnforceBase ensures data integrity)(Test Drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... Targeting managers of multiple Xbase systems, ExtendBase released EnforceBase. It brings mainframe-like integrity found in many SQL-based systems. EnforceBase ensures accurate data checking for errors through dot-prompt queries, using entity...

MicroSTEP this way. (Syscorp International Inc.'s MicroSTEP 1.6 and MicroSTEP QS development software for large and small business application creation)(Test Drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... MicroSTEP Version 1.6 and MicroSTEP QS, two visual programming tools for creating PC applications, are available from Syscorp. The products are designed for different audiences. MicroSTEP QS is an easy-to-learn tool that consultants and...

Case tool for multiple servers. (N Systems' DBAPrep computer-aided software engineering tool) (Test Drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... N Systems is now selling a version of DBAPrep that supports most of the leading database products. Prior to this, versions of DBAPrep that supported only one server were sold separately. Now, you can buy one package that supports...

Hit the RDD, Jack. (SuccessWare 90 Inc.'s The SuccessWare Index Driver replaceable database driver for Clipper 5.01) (Test Drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... SuccessWare 90, Inc. released The SuccessWare Index (SIx) Driver, a Replaceable Database Driver (RDD) for Clipper 5.01 that allows Clipper apps to access to FoxPro files, including compound indexes. According to the company, it also extends...

Sirius speed. (Sirius Software Development Inc.'s Get Helios software for Clipper application development)(Test Drives) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... Sirius Software has a solution for fast Clipper application development: Get Helios. Helios is composed of four systems. The Get System is an extension of Clipper's GET system, with features such as timeouts for individual gets, and pre- and...

Blinker for all: update. (Blink Inc.'s Blinker 2.0 program development software) (Software Review) (Test Drives) (Evaluation)
August 1, 1992... In the two year since Data Based Advisor first look at Blinker, the Clipper developer community has welcomed Blinkear with open arms as the premiere linker Clipper application development. What's new in version 2 One of the major...

The moral dilemma of decompilers.
August 1, 1992... When the first Clipper decompiler arrived on the scene, I met it with despair. I imagined all of my hard work lying on a disk with its electronic throat bared for the knife. Pirates bought decompilers. I felt betrayed by some nameless...

Rethink your business before redesigning your systems.
August 1, 1992... As IS managers struggle to deploy distributed computing environments using client/server technology, it's important to remember that information technology alone won't solve an organization's information or business problems. But...

The secret forces of GUI development. (Powersoft Corp. pres David Litwack discusses graphical user interface, client/server-based application development) (Interview)
August 1, 1992... Powersoft Corp. originally made its mark not in the Windows arena but in manufacturing, where it created one of the first client / server-based systems (based on Sybase SQL Server). Earlier this year the company sold its manufacturing lines to...

Status: OS/2 front ends. (a survey of tools for developing applications running under IBM's OS/2 2.0 operating system)(Cover Story) (Database Report) (Buyers Guide)
August 1, 1992... IBM has released OS/2 2.0, and, according to some, "We've finally got a two-horse race." Windows clearly benefits from market penetration and momentum, and may be impossible to dislodge as the GUI of choice for developing client/server...

Lotus Development Corp. (companion products for Lotus Notes groupware to be announced at GroupWare '92) (Brief Article)
August 1, 1992... In their effort to make paper-based information "searchable, sharable, portable, storable, and useful," Lotus Development Corp. will announce several Lotus Notes "companion products" at GroupWare '92. Working with Kodak, the company is...

SoftSolutions Technology Corp. (releases SoftSolutions for Windows) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... SoftSolutions Technology Corp. will soon ship its Windows-based document management package, called SoftSolutions for Windows. They'll demonstrate the product at GroupWare '92. The program offers multiple concurrent retrieval from different...

Elan Software. (releases GoldMine 2.5 group contact management software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... At GroupWare '92, Elan Software will be showing GoldMine 2.5, a group contact management program. The software includes group scheduling; "smart remote transfer merge," for obtaining updated data remotely; and definable contact databases, to...

What is groupware anyway? (includes related article on corporate interest in work group computing)
August 1, 1992... Ask an expert for a definition of "groupware," and you might see a flurry of evasive maneuvers. After all, it's not an easy category to pin down. One of my favorite answers, given in a recent industry forum, was that "groupware is the way most...

Groupware at work at Coors Brewing.
August 1, 1992... When Coors Brewing decided to improve the quality of its brewing division and give workers on the factory floor immediate access to brewing data, they put together a list of requirements for software that only one product ended up meeting. The...

How Nantucket installed and used Lotus Notes. (Lotus Development Corp.'s office automation software; includes related articles on a description of Notes and on creating Notes applications) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... In mid-1990, Nantucker realized that it needed a better communications and office automation strategy than a simple E-mail system. Not only should this new approach help improve communications between the company's ever-expanding international...

Integrate contact managers. (a survey of contact manager programs for tracking contacts with business clients and customers) (Buyers Guide)
August 1, 1992... Contact managers--programs that let you keep in touch with clients and customers--are a fast-growing part of the software industry. Currently, there are dozens of products that purport to handle the function of managing names and address memos,...

Compile your dBASE IV code: Matt Whelan's dBASE IV compiler kit. (Software Review) (Evaluation)
August 1, 1992... The mascot for Nantucket's final Developer's Conference in the Fall of 1991 was a chameleon. As it turns out, this creature is the perfect moniker for Clipper 5 and the release of Matt Whelan's Compiler Kit--dBASE IV Edition. This...

Borland shows its hand. (Borland International Inc. reveals its latest plans and releases at developers conference)
August 1, 1992... PALM DESERT, CA--During its latest developer conference, Borland International unveiled details of its upcoming Windows releases, the dBASE Compiler for Windows, and Paradox for Windows. At the same time, it poised its latest release of...

New products.
August 1, 1992... Target Software, Inc. announced PaintPAL, a tool for creating dialog boxes in Paradox 4.0. Users create a dialog box by selecting a user interface element such as a pushbutton from a pull-down menu, then placing it on a dialog box with a mouse...

Active or passive; the right record-locking scheme depends on whether your multi-user program is "transaction-driven" or "event-drive." (The Fox Files column) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... Last time we started a discussion of multi-user programming issues, and will continue with that discussion. As you'll see, there is a "right way" to lock records in a multi-user application; if you understand all the alternatives, you'll be...

Less can give your more: in dBASE IV 1.5, variable parameter passing makes maintaining your programs simpler and easier.... (dBASE Developer column) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... Although the new parameter passing capabilities in dBASE IV 1.5 haven't received much press, the ability to pass only those parameters you want to a user-defined function (UDF) is a major improvement in product usability. This isn't going to...

Printing your TBrowses: here are the functions you need to print TBrowses hassle free....(Hands-on Clipper column) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... Since 1968, SPECTRUM International, Inc. has consulted to many world-wide corporations, helping them develop and implement information systems methodologies that maximize the effectiveness of their MIS departments. SPECTRUM clients include...

OS/2 2.0 blues, and save your IDE drive. (integrated drive electronics)(Systems Integration Tips) (Column)
August 1, 1992... After giving OS/2 2.0 a fair shot, I now affectionately call it the "S.O.S.--Sloth Operating System." Why? Because: * It is so slow. I leave the room when OS/2 2.0 boots up and loads the Workplace Shell. In fact, I could probably...

My client/server wish list. (Client/Server Developer) (Column)
August 1, 1992... All database developers have a wish list--whether they code in Xbase, Windows, C++, or whatever. So, what's missing for developers in the world of client/server computing? 1. WYSIWYG report writer--First and foremost is a WYSIWYG report...

Product support.
August 1, 1992... [TABULAR DATA OMITTED]

Database confidential.
August 1, 1992... Remember two months ago when I told you Nantucket president Larry Heimendinger denied the company was for sale when it actually was? Larry wasn't fibbing; he really didn't know. It seems the sale was more or less a done deal before Nantucket...

A database in any language. (information submitted by users to CompuServ's DBADVISOR forum)(DB Connections) (Column)
August 1, 1992... Everyone shares information and experiences on the DBADVISOR forum on CompuServe. Whether your expertise is Xbase, C or C++, RDBMSs, or client/server, you can normally find someone with information to share, a fix to your problem, or someone...

Application structure, part 2: understand READS to build coordinated programs users can easily follow.... (FoxPro Basics column) (includes related article on menu popups) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... Let's assume you're comfortable in FoxPro's Screen Builder. You've mastered everything there is to know about creating GET objects and windows, and coordinating them in a screen set to perform a given task within your program. What's the...

UDCs: if your really want to know what Clipper 5.01 is really doing, understand its "heart and soul:" user-defined commands.... (Clipper Basics column) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... If there's one feature that characterizes Clipper 5's language it must be user-defined commands (UDCs). The UDC concept is a very elegant philosophy that provides for "table-driven syntax." The header file, STD.CH, contains a collection...

Selecting records at random. (Hands-on Paradox column) (Tutorial)
August 1, 1992... Paradox's set-oriented approach to database management makes it easy to create flexible general-purpose applications with a minimum of coding. One example of this approach is query handling. Using this approach makes it easy to extract...

Case study: packaging your software. (The Developer Report) (Column)
August 1, 1992... Boils down to: "You should get an advertising professional or graphic artist to come up with the package concept and oversee the whole thing, a copy writer to put words on the package, and a technical writer to write the manual, plus a...

Futurus. (Futurus Team DOS/Windows Combo electronic mail software) (News; Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
August 1, 1992... Futurus will be showing Futurus Team DOS/Windows Combo at GroupWare '92. The program combines e-mail (with multiple file attachment to each message), phone messaging, electronic faxing, and group scheduling into a network application that...

What is LightShip? (Pilot Software Inc.'s LightShip 3.01 executive information system tool kit and graphical user interface builder)
August 1, 1992... Pilot Software's ((617)350-7035) LightShip Version 3.01 is an EIS toolkit and GUI builder that uses a limited object-oriented concept and incorporates features to accelerate development of certain types of applications. "Programming" in...

Calendar of events.
August 1, 1992... Client/Server at Work--Gupta Technologies' Annual Developer's Conference. August 2-5, The San Francisco Hilton, San Francisco, CA. (800) 672-700, (415) 398-4433. GroupWare '92--Sponsored by Lotus and Standford Research Institute, the...