Samy Elashmawy wrote:
>
> Jerry ,
>
> See my other reply re C/C++ , I would be interested in your comments.
> I see that you are quite "bold" as some would say coming from the windows
> workd. I have yet to take on Emacs or the other linux/unix editors. I found
> them reakly confusuing to say the least. So I jave been using Joe for basic
> editing.
>
> What are3 codepage and codewarier ??
They are GUI Rapid Application Development (RAD) programs for writing
code using C, python, or what have you. The major weakness, as far as
attempting to be a RAD, is that they do not have connections to a native
db backend nor to they allow for WYSIWYG screen development like VB or
Delphi.
After reading what your intentions are concerning your business you
might want to give an application generator program a look-see. One
called "Magic" is at the following URL:
http://www.magic-sw.com/
It is an SQL based GUI RAD system that generates an application by
filling in templates. You attach it to backend you want to use (Oracle,
Sybase, IntraBase, PostgreSQL,etc...) and start templating. I just
received a CD of it this week. The demo CD that is being made available
isn't very clean, IMHO, and is a quasi-port from the SCO unix system.
Back in the late eighties when I was using Advanced Revelation (a DOS
based RAD with its own db backend - based on the Pick system) I
encountered several DOS based Magic systems. After reviewing Magic my
opinion is that it suffered from the same porting problems that AREV
suffered from when porting to a GUI environment was done. The GUI
version never had the ease and power of development, nor did the
finished app have the speed of the DOS version. But, I mention it
because you experience with it may be different.
The KDE development team just released an SQL manager package called
Kpsql that appears to duplicate what mpsql does. I feel that the Kpsql
project can only get better as it expands into a complete RAD front end
with API connections to PostgreSQL - but this won't help you now if you
want something running on the store workstations by summer. That's why
I mentioned pgaccess and Tcl. There is a nice development Tcl
development package called Visual TCL that allows the generation of tcl
applets (halfway between source code and compiled code, ie, pseudocode)
and there is also a very nice interactive GUI Tcl tutorial package
called TclTutor, which has over 100 lessons with interactive edit-run
buttons.
However, once you get into pgaccess and use it to start creating tables,
forms, queries, reports, scripts, etc..., you may find that since it is
already part of the PostgreSQL package that it will do what you need.
As time passes it, too, can only get better and it is a GPL rad tool
that is available now.
>
> What obsticals are you finding coming from the windows world??
Linux's explosive popularity during the last year has created a mass
movement to it before GUI tools, similar in sophistication to those that
windows developers are used to using, have become available as
OpenSource. However, ncurses (similar to DOS) RAD tools are everywhere
and many businesses prefer them because of the simplicity and speed of
the apps developed. I would caution you against becoming entrapped in a
propriatary GUI RAD tool which creates dependency on the software house
to publish fixes, patches, "upgrades" and which becomes a continual
drain on revenues... i.e., the M$ marketing model. I am doing research
to find replacements for Visual FoxPro, VB, Paradox where I work (a tax
supported gov agency). We have over 30 servers and 300+ workstations.
We recently completed our Win3.x upgrade to Win95 and the
hardware-software cost alone was over 1/2 million dollars. The suits
have decided we can't afford the Win95 to WinXXX upgrade costs! The
cyclic requirements to purchase more powerful PCs in order to run
bloated and buggy "upgrades" for WinXX and the above mentioned
development tools and axuillary software and office software (which all
need upgraded to run with the newer activeX controls, dlls, etc..) are
driving us from the Windows platform. And that is to say nothing of the
stability of WinXX.
So, even if a commercial GUI RAD development binaries were released I
doubt that we would ever buy into that model again. If you want to,
though, here is an example:
http://www.conetic.com/free/freelist.html
You can find others under the "development/tools" section at the
following URL:
http://www.linuxapps.com/
If a business were to "buy" into a propriatary development tool it would
make as much or better sense to buy a propriatary retail store app that
does what you want and avoid the development hassle. ???
In my searches I have found several Unix-Linux retail store packages.
Some are VERY extensive and modular. Others are small and specific. A
collection of URLs leading to such packages can be found at the
following URL:
http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/financelinux.html
It is a big web page. The stuff you'd be interested in is in the bottom
half of the sites listed.
>
> Re postgress , I am prety sure that I have it installed , and I think that
> pgacces is properly installed as well. I plan on reading over the docs this
> weekend , then I will tackle the configuration and enviormet settings.
> Next I will go on with the tutoriaol. I just finished printing out the
> tutorial , users guid and admoin guid. Man , thats a ton of paper , Not to
> mention the rogrames guide , that in of its self is a ton ot print out.
>
> Thanks for your input .
>
I am sticking with PostgreSQL because it is one horse of a db engine and
when concurrency comes out (ver 6.5) it will be even better. While
Oracle is, no doubt, the best db engine on the planet, PostgreSQL is
equal to or better than any other that I've used or studied. That
includes Sybase, InterBase, xbase clones including foxpro, watcom,
linear hash, btree, msaccess (which goes without saying, but I did
anyway ;-), ISAM, and an assorted of lessor known and used stuff.
In otherwords, not many other engines can match what PostgreSQL brings
to the table in ver 6.4.
And, it's GPL! It prices well against Oracle, too! ;-)
--
JLK
Linux, because it's STABLE, the source code is included, the price is
right.
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