Data Based Advisor articles from May 1996

Data Based Advisor archives from May 1996

The U.S. Communications Decency Act goes to court. (Coalition files suit against Telecommunications Reform Act's Communications Decency Act) (Government Activity)(Editorial)
May 1, 1996... A broad coalition is defending against this attack on the First Amendment. Do you want someone else to decide what information you are allowed to read on the Internet? The U.S. Congress and President think you do, so Congress passed the...

Advisor developers forum.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 1996... User Interface Mistakes First, a big thank you for providing such a high-quality magazine (you're even read in Germany). Regarding Riki Anne Wilchin's December article, "Some Avoidable User Interface Mistakes," I consider Ms. Wilchins to be 50...

Good help is easy to create. (Blue Sky Software's WinHelp Office online help system authoring software) (includes related article on help file to HTML conversion) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... WinHelp Office, US$599 (direct from Blue Sky), RoboHELP can be purchased separately for $499, and the Moving to WinHelp '95 Kit for $199. Blue Sky Software Corporation 7777 Fay Ave., Suite 201 La Jolla, CA 92037 800-459-2356, (619) 459-6365...

Coming events. (industry events Apr-June 1996)
May 1, 1996... Microsoft Tech-Ed, Los Angeles, CA, 15-19 April--Annual conference covers wide range of Microsoft products and technologies. L.A. Convention Center. Microsoft, 800-433-9996, (612) 550-6390, fax (612) 550-6391,...

Update. (bug fixed in demo program of Software-Centric's Strike! Developer's Edition for Windows)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 1996... In the April 1996 Test Drive of Strike! Developer's Edition for Windows from Software-Centric, Larry had found a problem with the Visual basic demo. He had difficulty getting the example to correctly display the Oracle rows it was returning from...

Database for the Web. (Computer Associates', Fujitsu's Jasmine object-oriented database)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Jasmine is an object-oriented database from Computer Associates and Fujitsu Limited that caters to multimedia, client-server, Intranet, and Internet applications. It lets developers build and execute standalone or Web browser applications on...

Turn diagrams into database tables. (InTek Technologies' Vivid Clarity 1.1) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... Vivid Clarity 1.1, US$495 InTek Technologies 500 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Ste. 150 Norcross, GA 30071 (770)840-2500, fax (770)840-2525 Developers like to draw diagrams. In almost every design meeting, someone in the room draws a diagram...

Microsoft and Lotus Exchange Mail. (DGA's MS:Link connects MS-Mail, Lotus cc:Mail)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... An e-mail solution, MS:Link, connects Microsoft MS-Mail and Lotus cc:Mail. It supports six address formats and bi-directional ccs and bccs. MS:Link runs on IBM OS/2, DOS, and Microsoft Windows NT. MS:Link is error tolerant, provides logging...

Data-warehousing decision. (Lingo's FISCAL Executive Dashboard data warehousing decision support software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... The FISCAL Executive Dashboard is a data-warehousing decision-support module that enhances communication between analysts, financial staffs, clients, executives, and managers. The executive Dashboard lets the reporting group organize information...

Java conference. (Sun Microsystems-sponsored JavaOne developer's conference) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... A Sun-sponsored JavaOne Java developer's conference will be held at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, CA, on May 29-31. The creators of Java will be presenting sessions. SOFTBANK EXPOS, (415)578-6963, fax (415)525-0193,...

Visual application generator. (Forte Software's Forte Express)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Forte Express 1.0 is a visual application generator for client-server developers. It generates user interfaces and database access components for object-oriented, multi-tiered applications. Developers create user interfaces, business policy...

Hot Lava for the Web. (Aspect Software Engineering's iBasic HTML-compatible scripting language)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... iBasic is a scripting language compatible with HTML and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). iBasic, code named "Hot Lava," lets developers integrate HTML and VBA. It executes on an Internet sever and responds to multiple browser...

Migrating data. (Rankin Tools group's ReTarGet data migration tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... ReTarGet is a new data-migration tool that extracts, reengineers, srcubs, and migrates data from non-relational legacy systems to RDBMSs. ReTarGet is a suite of software tools that eliminates the need to write C or COBOL programs for data...

OLE components for database front ends. (Sheridan Software Systems' DataWidgets 2.0 OLE controls)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... DataWidgets 2.0 is a set of 16- and 32-bit OLE controls for developing database front ends. Controls included are: DataGrid, DataDropDown, DataCombo, Enhanced DataControls, DataCommand, and DataOptionSet. US$139, upgrade from 1.0 is $79. Sheridan...

Delphi and Legacy integration. (Software Development Tools' AppBridge AutoCode tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... A new version of AppBridge AutoCode tool generates Delphi navigation code and graphical user interface (GUI) versions for the IBM mainframe and AS/400 screens. It also lets developers create host navigation code and GUI versions of partial or...

ODBC access tools. (Raima's RAIMA Database Manager ODBC Gateway toolkit)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... The RAIMA Database Manager (RDM) ODBC Gateway lets developers extract data from RDM applications with ODBC-compliant third-party products, such as spreadsheets and report writers. The gateway is sold as a toolkit, and provides ODBC access tools...

Sybase simplifies licensing. (new licensing program) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... A new licensing program includes a networked option and a concurrent licensing option for client-server products. The networked model lets customers give access to users on multiple servers, and purchase licenses either per seat or per named user...

Access add-ins. (FMS' Total Access Statistics 2.0, 7.0; Total Access CodeTools, Total Access Professional statistical/analysis software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Total Access Statistics 2.0, Total Access Statistics 7.0, Total Access CodeTools, and Total Access Professional are new versions of Access add-ins. TAS 2.0 is geared toward MS-Access 2.0, and offers statistical functions for analyzing Access or...

Accounting for Paradox. (Adapta Software's AdaptAccounts 5.7 for Windows 95, NT accounting application add-on)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... AdaptAccounts 5.7 for Windows 95 and Windows NT is a new version of a Paradox add-on for accounting applications. Modules include Systems Manager, General Ledger & Financial Reporter, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory, Sales...

CASE tool. (Visible Systems' Visible Analyst Workbench 6.0)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... A CASE tool designed to shorten the learning curve from structured programming to object-oriented development is Visible Analyst Workbench 6.0. It implements object-class modeling, state transition modeling, conventional data flow, and ER...

Protect users from themselves. (Software AG's Esperant 3.0 SQL-query tool) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... Esperant 3.0, US$595 Software AG 11190 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 22091 800-423-2227, (703)860-5050 Fax(703)391-8200, http://www.sagus.com One of the great benefits of modern computing is the speed and ease with which users can access...

Management for the year 2000. (Intersolv's Manage2000 data transition software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Manage 2000 is a strategy and solution set for managing the date transition in the year 2000. The solution includes Maintenance Workbench and PVCS, along with ServiceDirect consulting services. Maintenance Workbench includes the 2000 Assistant,...

Capture data from all sources. (Grasp Information's KnowIt All test processing software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Knowlt All collects, organizes, and uses information from online services, CDROMS, and other electronic sources. A configurable ReaderBar launches with all web browser and Windows applications to capture information, while SourceLink works with...

Technology testing. (Mercury Interactive's TestSuite 4.0 for testing Windows client/server apps)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... A suite of tools for testing Windows client-server applications is TestSuite 4.0. It includes Mercury Interactive's WinRunner and TestDirector tools. WinRunner uses a wizard to develop GUI test scripts. TestDirector aids testers in developing a...

Index Sybase and Informix data. (Dynamic Information Systems' OMNIDEX indexing software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... OMNIDEX indexing software now supports Sybase and Informix databases, as well as Oracle, Rdb, HP Image, VAX RMS, and C-ISAM file formats. OMNIDEX selects and retrieves records using a search criteria or free text search. It retrieves data from...

Passing Peoplesoft performance. (Peoplesoft's performance engineering, benchmark program) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... PeopleSoft Inc. launched a performance engineering test and benchmark program to identify the best ways to use PeopleSoft software in an enterprise client-server implementation. It has three elements: Performance Laboratory, Benchmark Kits, and...

Windows development management. (Requisite's Requisite project management software for Windows)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Requisite helps software development and test teams capture and manage software requirements for Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT. Requisite links to Microsoft Word and creates a 3-D document repository, which itemizes requirements from...

LANtastic upgrades to Windows 95. (Artisoft's network operating system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... The LANtastic peer-to-peer network operating system now works with Windows 95, allowing Windows 95 users to access and share files, CD-ROMs, and printers with DOS, Windows, or OS/2 PCs on a LANtastic network. LANtastic for Windows 95 also...

Programmers teach programmers. (Database Programmers Retreat) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Database Programmers Retreat has opened a new training center in St. Augustine, Florida. This retreat offers developer training in Delphi, Visual Basic, Access, Visual FoxPro, CA-Visual Objects, and CA-Clipper. Database Programmers Retreat,...

OLE Custom Controls add grid and search/replace features. (VideoSoft's VSFlex 1.0, OCX version DBMS utility) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... VideoSoft is a longtime vendor of unique and original components, and VSFlex 1.0, OCX Version is no exception. VSFlex is actually two controls wrapped into a single OCX: FlexArray, a fresh twist on the familiar grid concept, and FlexString, an...

Visual SlickEdit goes cross-platform. (MicroEdge's Visual SlickEdit for X Windows program editor)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... MicroEdge has released Visual SlickEdit for X Windows on several UNIX platforms. This includes: AIX RS6000, HPUX, Solaris-Sparc, Solaris-Intel, Sun OS, SGI Trix, Digital UNIX, and Linux. Programmers migrating from Visual SlickEdit an other...

Teamware productivity tools. (StarBase's StarTeam)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... StarTeam from StarBase Corporation is a set of productivity tools that integrates collaboration, workflow, and project management around a configuration management foundation. The package integrates version control, defect tracking, electronic...

SQL tuner. (Platinum Technologies' Plan Analyzer for Oracle DBMS utility)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... The Plan Analyzer for Oracle is a Windows tool that tunes SQL statements for Oracle databases. It determines which SQL optimization plan is most efficient, and displays results in a graphical summary. A capture facility is also provided along...

Commerceware for business on the Internet. (Telos' Pangaea commerceware product line)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Telos Corporation has announced Pangaea, a commerceware product line that allows business to be conducted via the Internet. Pangaea is available as a package of software and services, or as three component products: netSeer, a second generation...

Next generation of open OLAP from Oracle. (Oracle's Oracle Transparent Gateway database middleware works with Oracle Express Server decision support software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... The new technology of Oracle Transparent Gateway and Oracle Express Server lets data be extracted using relational databases or multidimensional OLAP engines, via Oracle's Express tools and applications and industry-standard SQL tools. The Oracle...

Shorten the VB 4.0 learning curve. (Crescent's VB4 Plus Pak programming tutorial software for Microsoft's Visual Basic development environment) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... VB4 Pus Pak, US$49 CRESCENT Division of Progress Software 14 Oak Park Bedford, MA 01730 (617) 280-3000 http://www.progress.com/crescent It's a weekend, and I'm doing my brand of fun--some might consider it weird--i'm tweaking Crescent's VB4...

Sybase to acquire Visual Components, Inc. (Sybase, Visual Components merger) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Sybase Inc. announced it has entered into agreement of merger with Visual Components, Inc. Visual Components develops object-based software development tools, including its Formula One spreadsheet component, First Impression, VisualWriter,...

Sun gains Oracle certification. (Sun Microsystems Computer gets Oracle Warehouse Terabyte Test-to-Scale Program certification for data warehousing abilities) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Sun Microsystems Computer Company announced it's among the industry's first vendors to be certified by the Oracle Warehouse Terabyte Test-to-Scale Program. The new program identifies vendors with the proven ability to build and query a one...

Automated testware. (Seque Software's QA Auditor testing software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... QA Auditor from Segue Software, Inc. provides an automated process for verifying that an application's Graphical User Interface conforms to a specific set of standards. Its features include: Automatic Error Recovery, Platform Independence, Open...

Help-authoring system. (ForeFront's ForeHelp 2.95 Help Authoring System for Windows 95)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Forefront Inc. announced the ForeHelp 2.95 Help Authoring System designed for Windows 95. New WinHelp 95 features include expandable and navigable content pages, multi-level keyword search across multiple indexes, full-text search on any...

File I/O library. (Menai's Gamelon programming utility)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Gamelon from Menai Corporation includes: transaction management, internal cross-referencing and indexing, and type-safe data storage. Gamelon files are physically identical on all supported platforms and are self-descriptive as to file layout,...

Migrate host apps to Visual Basic. (Client/Server Technology's GUISys, VBSys application migration programs)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... GUISys and its VBSys add-on can be used to migrate AS/400 and IBM S/3X applications to Visual Basic and to create Windows applications. Using a Knowlegebase engine that stores information on a wide variety of host application screens, GUISys...

Data modeling for Delphi 2.0. (Computer Systems Adviser's SILVERRUN business modeling software integrated with Borland's Delphi 2.0 application development software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Borland International and Computer Systems Advisers (CSA) have integrated SILVERRUN business modeling software with Delphi 2.0. This lets Delphi developers create data models that support heterogeneous database environments. CSA's silverrun acts...

OpenDoc for AIX. (IBM's client/server software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... IBM announced the implementation of OpenDoc for AIX client and server applications. It lets application designers build and customize cross-platform applications with software parts. It also expands AIX's object capabilities, including D/SOM...

Quality assurance. (Segue Software's Quality Works suite of quality assurance tools)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
May 1, 1996... Quality Works is a suite of quality assurance tools divided into four major components: Test Management, Quality Ware, Distributed Testing, and Open Integration. Test Management provides test planning, management, an reporting. Quality Ware is a...

The power of Windows development for Unix. (Powersoft's PowerBuilder for Unix 4.0 application development software) (includes related articles on market demand, compatibility) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 1, 1996... PowerBuilder for UNIX Version 4.0 US$3,295 Powersoft Corporation 561 Virginia Road Concord, MA 01742 (508)287-1500,fax (508_369-3997 CompuServe Go PSFORUM http://www.powersoft.com Powersoft opens up the cross-platform possibilities with a UNIX...

Are you ready for the Java revolution? (Sun Microsystems' Java application development software) (includes related article on Java release update) (Technology Information)
May 1, 1996... Java promises a powerful programming language for building interactive online applications. Introduction For the past three or four years, client-server programming has conjured up images of Windows programmers working with event-driven...

The file manager as the optimal document database. (part 1 of 3) (Technology Information)
May 1, 1996... Find out when a file manager is the best toolset match to your document collection. Managing documents in an online repository is no easy task. It takes a certain amount of skill--and a certain amount of inspiration. As is the case for the...

Is your client-server network secure? (source of network security violation, solutions) (Technology Information)(Cover Story)
May 1, 1996... A few years from now, when your coffeepot has a network connection and your house runs at the command of digital agents, connecting databases to the network will be old hat. But these are the Wild West days of the Internet, and network...

Moving on to the Net? Think about your route. (approaches for creating firewalls) (includes related articles on Unix systems security, glossary of firewall terms, security product listing) (Technology Information)
May 1, 1996... A firewall is a key element in your overall security policy. Here are two common firewall implementations--plus a survey of key products in the market. As the TV cop with the white cockatoo used to say, "You can take it to the bank." If your...

Security in numbers. (security tools, vendors)(Directory)
May 1, 1996... Whether your data sits on one machine, a network server, or is dispersed among several sites, keeping data safe for those who really need access--and locking out all others--is the main task of the products in this directory. You'll find tools...

The rush to the Net. (products, vendors with ware for moving corporate data to Internet WANs) (Internet
May 1, 1996... When the Internet was first conceived, it was a flat-file system used for sharing research materials and documents. There was little interaction; certainly nothing like what you would see today. With the creation of the World Wide Web, there came...

Adapt OLE controls to any tool. (examining Visual Basic-specific nature of .OCXs) (Technology Information)
May 1, 1996... Borland's Delphi can make better use of OLE controls than Visual Basic 4.0, for which most components are written. The key is Delphi's code wrapper. Unlike the Visual Basic custom control (.VBX) format that originated with Microsoft's Visual...

Turn database applications into OLE servers. (OLE overview, guidelines) (Technology Information)
May 1, 1996... OLE 2.0 lets Windows databases share data among applications via a single container application. Here's how to add this capability to an existing DBMS application. Object Linking and Embedding 2.0 (OLE) is the most recent incarnation of...

How middleware can help your enterprise.
May 1, 1996... Database middleware plays an important role in harmonizin heterogeneous databases. Try to bring up the topic of middleware in a conversation, and listeners soon start to yawn, rub their eyes, and move on. Most database developers are...

Database confidential. (rumor) (News Briefs)
May 1, 1996... There's talk of H&R Block spinning off CompuServe into a separate company. Buzz would be happy if H&R Block could merely get CompuServe to behave like the leading high-tech service it claims to be. Case in point: WinCIM 2.0.1, the newest...