Re: Yahoo - Informix Revitalizes 4GL Application Development Too
Billy Wheeler wrote: > > On 7 May 98 at 11:58, Ing. Melvin Perez Cedano wrote: > > > Mark D. Stock wrote: > > > > > Ing. Melvin Perez Cedano wrote: > > > > > > > > I'm a little confuse, because according with the category assigned to > > > > INFORMIX-4GL in the Products Life Cycle, it is a dead product in terms > > > > of development new features. Is Informix blind-searching the way to > > > > start up? > > Melvin, > > Check out SuperNova's I4GL Extender at http://www.supernova.com Now I believe that's a way to convert 4GL applications to GUI at the press of a button. Or so Billy said. :-) > > > I don't remember the 'dead product' level in the Product Life Cycle. > > > > Ok, there's no 'dead product' category in the Product Life Cycle, > > but there's a category 2, which as you surely know doesn't include > > any development of new features, only maintenance releases. > > > > >From informix web site: > > > > Category Two: Full Maintenance > > > > 1. Maintenance-only releases, including defect fixes, are > > scheduled > > within the next year. > > Ok. > > > > 2. Customer feature requests will be considered for inclusion into > > this > > product's > > successor within the product family. > > > > What's the INFORMIX-4GL's successor? New-Era, right? What's the > > INFORMIX-NewEra Category? the same of 4GL (2) > > > > any comments? > > Oh, I have plenty. How about the way my NewEra customers regard me, > thanks to selling them a "brain-dead" tool? How about what do we do > with our millions of lines of 4GL code? Etc. Now there's a turn-around. I thought you said it was a great tool? > > Are you sure of this?How much Informix sold in the tools market for > > new developments? I think that Informix abandoned those thousands of > > 4GL users, including me, because we have not received any > > enhancements, just same to continue maintaining existing > > applications. Do you think that anyone could evaluate INFORMIX-4GL > > for new developments? What 4GL offers for GUI, Client-Server, > > Intranet applications? > > Yep. Despite the fact that I believe that many of these platforms > or technologies add no value to the application, people still want > them. There is no way a new buyer of tools would look at 4GL or > NewEra, even if they are great solution in the medium-term. Existing > users of these products must be wondering what to do and how to go > forward. Informix's commitment to Data Director as a tool strategy > leaves existing users with only the bitter prospect of a complete > rewrite to get to newer technology. Well it depends if their reqiurements have changed. I agree it would be nice to have a 4GL/NewEra to WEBConnect conversion tool. > > > > Informix, is now when you realize that there's a big market using > > > > INFORMIX-4GL waiting for a real solution for migrating to new > > > > environments (client/server, intranet)? > > > > > > I think the realisation that 4GL had a big market came a few years ago. > > I don't know about that. I think they've conveniently forgotten the > fact. So why continue to support the product? Why not sell it off, like so many before? Maybe I should keep quite, things have a nasty habit of turning around. ;-) > > IMHO, I don't think so!What Informix offers for migration of those > > millions of line of 4GL code to new technology? Informix tried to > > move to the client-server/GUI world two times, without success: > > INFORMIX-4GL for Windows and INFORMIX-NewEra. > > > > Have you used any of them? > > Heh, heh. Both - one was a joke, one was not. But that doesn't > matter, does it? No. > > INFORMIX realized that is a database company, not a tool one!! but, > > what about those thousand of INFORMIX-4GL users? > > > > > > Anyway, I'm still being a real Informixer! > > > > > > Mmmm, that's one term, there are others. :-) > > What, you don't think that it's right for an Informix user to > criticise Informix for leaving him in a dead end with some of his > Informix products? No I don't. But what dead end? If you need a character based application, I still think 4GL is the way to go. As I said before, if your requirements have changed, then you have to look at the easiest way of migrating to your desired environment, GUI or whatever. In this area there is certainly a void, but products like 4Js and SuperNova are out there. Whether you like the end result is up to you. Cheers, -- Mark. +----------------------------------------------------------+-----------+ |Mark D. Stock - Informix SA http://www.informix.com |//////// /| |mailto:mdstock@informix.com FAQ http://www.iiug.org |///// / //| | +-----------------------------------+//// / ///| | Tel: +27 11 807 0313 |If it's slow, the users complain. |/// / ////| | Fax: +27 11 807 2594 |If it's fast, the users keep quiet.|// / /////| |Cell: +27 83 250 2325 |Therefore, "No news: travels fast"!|/ ////////| +----------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------+