Stuart McLachlan
stuart at lexacorp.com.pg
Sun Jan 27 02:58:50 CST 2013
I really liked it. It was my primary development environment between 86 and 93. First on C/CPM then on DOS. I built some major systems in it including the system used to track all the material moved by SAT for the construction of the Kutubu oil pipleine (up to 15 x 20 ton C130 loads per day for 3 years - one of the biggest civilian airlifts in history). Then when they built the Lihir goldmine, I wrote Ver 2 to manage the movement of everything for the construction by barge from Lae to Lihir. I never got into the Windows version because I switched to Access in 93 (v1.1). But in it's day it was very powerful and great for RAD. It was like Access/VBA in some ways in that you could do a lot of heavy coding inside forms and reports. I was still occasionally writing mashups to suck data from DOS based Dataflex accounting systems into Access etc until about 10 years ago. -- Stuart On 26 Jan 2013 at 23:59, Jim Lawrence wrote: > That is one of the few databases that I never worked with. Did some reading > up on it at the time but for some reason, probably that no contracts asked > for it, never used it. > > What was it like to work with? > > Jim > > -----Original Message----- > From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Stuart McLachlan > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 10:24 PM > To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues > Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] database > > 1989? You should have built it in Dataflex :-) > > > On 26 Jan 2013 at 20:46, Jim Lawrence wrote: > > > Hi Shamil: > > > > This database had it beginning in 1989. > > > > Oracle was hardly noted in 1993 (but I did get a free copy), MS Access was > > just a toy until 1997 (Took a full two week training course in MS Access > > (version 2) in 1993(?) fully paid for by Microsoft), R:Base was excellent > > but it needed virtually a server to run on or maybe a main-frame, Paradox, > > one of the first real desktop databases but not very multi-user friendly, > > then the whole Dbase series...only DBaseIII was good...did a lot of work > on > > this package and its various offspring; clipper and Foxbase (and FoxPro). > > > > Foxbase was the first real database, fast and multi-user. Before that I > was > > building applications, in AcuCobol/Basic/Fortran on top of Btrieve...fully > > multi-user when running on a Novell LAN network (also ran on UNIX and > > Xenix). Then there was Smartware (1984), the first full office suite, that > > was also fully programmable...even had a full modem and terminal > > communications package. Other incredible databases that somehow pasted > under > > the radar were Clarion, very eloquent in design, would compile almost to > > assembler and SuperBase, one of the fastest databases ever built...but it > > needed to remap the hard-drive. There were a number of other databases but > > the names escape me for now. > > > > The database in question was initially built in Informix on SCO > UNIX/Xenix. > > If there had been OSS Linux at the time, I would have never moved the > > product to Windows. The windows version was a cross between Angoss, a > > derivative of Smartware and Informix. Very fast and very reliable and I > have > > a full unlimited license as the IBM bought up Informix and the Windows > > software division closed down. > > > > Minis and Mainframes (VAX) came before, the first age and Windows and > Oracle > > databases came after, the third age...and now the fourth age is is the > > Internet. As you can see, I have a long and very messy history in > databases > > > > > > Jim > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > > [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Salakhetdinov > > Shamil > > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 5:20 PM > > To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues > > Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] database > > > > Hi Jim -- > > > > <<< > > there was no Oracle, Linux, MySQL etc etc... > > >>> > > But Oracle was available already - twenty years ago - in January 1993: > > > > - Oracle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Database > > > > as well as: > > > > - dBase - http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBase > > - R:Base - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R:Base > > - Paradox - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_(database ) > > - MS Access - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access > > - dbVista (Raima Data Manager) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raima > > - ... > > > > Have you used file system "database" that "ancient" times to get your POS > > software to fit into memory? > > Are you still keeping (some of) your POS application system production and > > history data out of a database? > > > > Thank you. > > > > -- Shamil > > > > , 26 2013, 16:40 -08:00 "Jim Lawrence" <accessd at shaw.ca>: > > >Constraints? What's a constraint? ;-) > > > > > >What's all that fancty talk...this database is over twenty years old, > there > > >was no Oracle, Linux, MySQL etc etc... > > > > > >Jim > > > > > >-----Original Message----- > > >From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > > >[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of > Hans-Christian > > >Andersen > > >Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 4:15 PM > > >To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues > > >Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] database > > > > > > > > >Does this database have constraints in any shape or form? If the database > > is > > >capable of constraints (most modern databases do, but older ones, I feign > > >ignorance) and it was implemented properly, it makes life a heck of a lot > > >easier, since you can a quick overview of the relationships between > > >different tables - thus making your life easier. > > > > > >- Hans > > > > > > > > >On 2013-01-26, at 11:28 AM, "Jim Lawrence" < accessd at shaw.ca > wrote: > > > > > >> Hi Gustav: > > >> > > >> I do have incredible confidence in you guys. > > >> > > >> It never hurts to be a little overly cautious with these sort of events > > >and > > >> who knows, there may be a obvious "got-ya" that I have over-looked. > > >> > > >> Jim > > >> > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > > >> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gustav > Brock > > >> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 10:50 AM > > >> To: dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com > > >> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] database > > >> > > >> Hi Jim > > >> > > >> I must say you have great confidence in us. After a couple of months' > > >> planning you ask for good advice within the hour! > > >> > > >> That said, and as already mentioned, I would certainly look for setting > > >> cascade deletes. > > >> > > >> /gustav > > <<< skipped >>> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > dba-Tech mailing list > > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > dba-Tech mailing list > > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > > > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >