FourGen CASE Tools

We are currently using the FourGen CASE Tools 4.14.UC1 (from the now defunct Data Pacific) to generate Informix 4gl code, and the mz menuing shell to run our applications in a Linux environment against IDS 7.30.UC10. We would like to walk away from using the FourGen to generate our code, and just write/maintain I4gl directly. Has anyone else used and then left the FourGen tools? If so, were there any major problems I should avoid, and do you have any suggestions for a Unix menuing tool? Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

michael_jn@my-deja.com wrote: > We are currently using the FourGen CASE Tools 4.14.UC1 (from the now > defunct Data Pacific) to generate Informix 4gl code, and the mz menuing > shell to run our applications in a Linux environment against IDS > 7.30.UC10. We would like to walk away from using the FourGen to > generate our code, and just write/maintain I4gl directly. > > Has anyone else used and then left the FourGen tools? If so, were there > any major problems I should avoid, and do you have any suggestions for a > Unix menuing tool? Check out the later versions of FourGen, now maintained by Fourth Generation in Atlanta, GA (http://www.fourthgeneration.com). I've also heard of a firm in South Africa with current rights to the products -- I don't know the ins and outs of that. -- Jonathan Leffler (jleffler@informix.com, jleffler@earthlink.net) Guardian of DBD::Informix v1.00.PC1 -- see http://www.perl.com/CPAN #include <disclaimer.h>

The company is called EmSoft - www.emsoft.co.za In article <391B8CC9.3FD65BC8@earthlink.net>, Jonathan Leffler <jleffler@earthlink.net> wrote: > michael_jn@my-deja.com wrote: > Check out the later versions of FourGen, now maintained by > Fourth Generation in Atlanta, GA (http://www.fourthgeneration.com). > I've also heard of a firm in South Africa with current rights to > the products -- I don't know the ins and outs of that. > > -- > Jonathan Leffler (jleffler@informix.com, jleffler@earthlink.net) > Guardian of DBD::Informix v1.00.PC1 -- see http://www.perl.com/CPAN > #include <disclaimer.h> > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

michael_jn@my-deja.com wrote: > We are currently using the FourGen CASE Tools 4.14.UC1 (from the now > defunct Data Pacific) to generate Informix 4gl code, and the mz menuing > shell to run our applications in a Linux environment against IDS > 7.30.UC10. We would like to walk away from using the FourGen to > generate our code, and just write/maintain I4gl directly. We started with FourGen when I was at Neuberger & Berman (my suggestion I'll admit) but found it's interface philosophy did not fit N&B's so we dropped it. However, out of that and N&B's appreciation of template coding methods to aid consistency of interface, we developed a basic library of functions to do all of the basic things needed to build a form program including dialog boxes, pull down menus, pick lists, browsers, etc. From there is was trivial to extend the single table initial template and create two, three and even four table maintenance applications using the same library. The only pain was some name space cleanup needed to go from one table to multiple tables cleanly. Art S. Kagel > > Has anyone else used and then left the FourGen tools? If so, were there > any major problems I should avoid, and do you have any suggestions for a > Unix menuing tool? > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > Before you buy.

You will not have many problems abandoning the case tools and modifying 4GL directly. Keep in mind that once you have done this you cannot easily go back. I think this is OK in your case. I would recommend contacting Brad Dussiame at Infotech North 705-524-2399. His company has Canadian and Caribbean distribution rights for the product. They work very closely with Fourth Generation out of Atlanta to maintain current versions of these tools. Check out their advancements in the product you might like it. I have worked with this company in the past and I give them a very high recommendations as we have had nothing but successful transactions with them. As a side note the Fourgen product has had continued development after the VAR network was so harshly dropped. Fourgen became a company called Endura where they developed the tools up to version 5.2. HK Systems in turn bought Endura last year and now have a version 6 of the tool. Version 6 might be worth looking at because it is much more black box oriented. They seem to have encapsulated data better removing the millions of global variables required by the previous tools and it is much more bug free. They have added a few new features and there will be little training required for people are used to the 4.14 tools. michael_jn@my-deja.com wrote: > We are currently using the FourGen CASE Tools 4.14.UC1 (from the now > defunct Data Pacific) to generate Informix 4gl code, and the mz menuing > shell to run our applications in a Linux environment against IDS > 7.30.UC10. We would like to walk away from using the FourGen to > generate our code, and just write/maintain I4gl directly. > > Has anyone else used and then left the FourGen tools? If so, were there > any major problems I should avoid, and do you have any suggestions for a > Unix menuing tool? > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ > Before you buy.