Convert 4GL applications ---> Perl, Pascal, ...
Did anybody try to convert 4GL applications to other languages? Pascal and Perl have a syntax not so different from 4GL. And Perl could also be used as an efficient source conversion tool. However, I think two points remain to be solved : 1) how can you embed Informix SQL statements in these languages? 2) how is screen interaction managed in these languages (INPUT SCREEN, INPUT ARRAY, BEFORE FIELD, AFTER FIELD, ON KEY, etc...)? It could be a great project to convert 4GL to some run-time free languages. This would also allow to use other databases engines than Informix, run-time free too. There is a market for such conversion tools, because clients are sick of paying run-time licenses when free solutions exist and are performant. And for solution vendors, run-time free licenses mean a more competitive offer. Think that Querix (www.querix.com), for example, sells a run-time 4GL clone for $8,000 !
In <01be490c$01bdbe40$a0ba8aa4@none.wanadoo.fr> "Pascal Ferrari" <pascal.ferrari@wanadoo.fr> writes: >Did anybody try to convert 4GL applications to other languages? >Pascal and Perl have a syntax not so different from 4GL. And Perl could >also be used as an efficient source conversion tool. >However, I think two points remain to be solved : >1) how can you embed Informix SQL statements in these languages? With the DBD::Informix module. See: http://www.hermetica.com/technologia/DBI/ >2) how is screen interaction managed in these languages (INPUT SCREEN, >INPUT ARRAY, BEFORE FIELD, AFTER FIELD, ON KEY, etc...)? It isn't. There are alot of different user interfaces. See: http://reference.perl.com/query.cgi?ui -- Clay Irving clay@panix.com
I don't know, but I am using Querix which gives me much the same. Querix GUI is also out and is much better than D4GL. You can check out their site @ www.querix.com Pascal Ferrari wrote: > Did anybody try to convert 4GL applications to other languages? > > Pascal and Perl have a syntax not so different from 4GL. And Perl could > also be used as an efficient source conversion tool. > > However, I think two points remain to be solved : > > 1) how can you embed Informix SQL statements in these languages? > > 2) how is screen interaction managed in these languages (INPUT SCREEN, > INPUT ARRAY, BEFORE FIELD, AFTER FIELD, ON KEY, etc...)? > > It could be a great project to convert 4GL to some run-time free languages. > This would also allow to use other databases engines than Informix, > run-time free too. > > There is a market for such conversion tools, because clients are sick of > paying run-time licenses when free solutions exist and are performant. And > for solution vendors, run-time free licenses mean a more competitive offer. > > Think that Querix (www.querix.com), for example, sells a run-time 4GL clone > for $8,000 !