RE: Development tools: where to? (Long)

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

Additional:
Merant spun off their odbc unit as DataDirect:

http://www.datadirect.com/

--EEM

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Everett Mills
> Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 10:53 AM
> To: informix-list@iiug.org
> Subject: RE: Development tools: where to? (Long)
>
> 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
sending to informix-list

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