RE: Development tools: where to? (Long)

#1 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008, 10:14 AM

Andrea-
You may want to call 4Js again. Our upgrade cost for Genero
wasn't nearly (around 10%) the cost of buying new licenses.

--EEM

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrea De Angeli [mailto:deangeliINVALID@INVALIDflorence-
> sculptures.it]
> Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 9:10 AM
> To: informix-list@iiug.org
> Subject: Development tools: where to? (Long)
>
> Fellows,
>
> This is a short story (actually long for Usenet) on the quest for a
> development tool from an old Informix user.
>
> I manage a 4GL shop (classic + 4JS), 50 users, 2 developers, custom
> application, classic 4GL for almost everything, 4JS BDL where a more
> complex data presentation was needed.
> I am looking for a development tool that is as "simple and fast" as
> 4GL for writing and debugging, that runs both on application server
> (linux, better) and single workstation (windows, naturally) with
informix
> db (in central store) and "light" db in laptops, unconnected, out of
> office. That has a nice "swing-like" or tcl-like or windows like user
> interface for accountants and managers and a text interface for
production
> sites and warehouses. That runs on windows and linux. A sort of Holy
> Graal.
>
> Now, up to the quest.
>
> OK, classic 4GL is dead.
> It is not, I know, and 7.32 is almost complete
> (in functionalities) but is limited in database connection, text
> terminals and no windows runtime. Not feasible for "modern"
> applications.
>
> 4JS BDL is dead, too. And they have a commercial support that su@ks,
> at least here in Italy. Can you imagine? They consider the passage
> to Genero as a new sale - no upgrade prices - and I was not even able
to
> get an evaluation copy. And, last but not least, their run-time
licenses
> are as expensive as crude oil (nowadays!).
>
> So, I explored Querix. Nice package, excellent IDE, reasonable prices,
> but: NO DEBUG! Quite a pain. I met them a more than year ago, they
agreed
> on the problem, said a new 5.0 release was under construction with
p-code,
> debug and other features but it is still under development. Here come
the
> first questions: does anyone out there actually use Hydra? Any
comment?
> How do you debug your applications?
>
> More recently, I tried Rational/EGL. What a mess! I may be a bit
> old-fashioned, but do not think I should need all that thing to
produce
> legacy reports for 5 accountants, with the look, agility and
> user-friendliness of a web registration form. Huge hardware, huge
software
> (did you check the prices of Websphere runtimes recently?), huge
response
> times. I don't like web user interfaces, I don't need them. But
Rational
> is too much web oriented. Did someone succeed in actually using the
> console user interface? or in producing a standalone application? I
> didn't, but it can be my fault.
>
> Last, I tried Aubit, but I think that development is still in too an
early
> stage for production sites. And, again, no debug.
>
> In the meanwhile, we tried pure Java - we produce some nice reports
with
> JasperReport. I love it, it's free, no limitations, nice IDEs (even
too
> many, even free ones) but I think is too much a mess for a "real"
> application. Does anyone know of a complete application written
entirely
> in Java? Or is it limited in writing a few classes for running a
report,
> or a videogame, or a tune in a mobile phone....
>
> Worst of all was Visual Basic, some years ago. It's an M$ product -
and
> that's all.
>
> This ends my search. Now the big question: where to go?
> I am too lazy to learn C++ in my forties - I have done it a long time
ago,
> and have never been so happy to forget something - and I use as less
Perl
> as I can - only for system administration.
> You are real world people, with real problems and practical solutions.
> What do you use? How do you feel? I need your advice. "Open an Italian
> Restaurant in Wellington, NZ" is a good one :-).
>
> Sorry for the length.
>
> Andrea
sending to informix-list

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