Re: ViewPoint (LONG)

In article <1tgpue$ivh@news.cerf.net> hptasins@nic.cerf.net (Henry Ptasinski) writes: >I've recently heard a few juicy rumors about a new Informix product called >ViewPoint, which is supposed to make it much easier to generate a GUI front-end >for Infromix databased. Does anybody out there have any information about >this? > >Thanks >henry@is.internic.net Here's the related press announcement from March 1: INFORMIX UNVEILS OPEN TOOLS STRATEGY Company will supply most productive, complete and open suite for commercial applications Windows graphical development and information access tools now scheduled to ship in 90 days MENLO PARK, Calif., (March 1, 1993) Informix Corporation (NASDAQ: IFMX) today announced aggressive ongoing plans for delivery of the industry's most productive, complete, and open tool suite for the development of commercial database applications. As part of today's announcement, the company introduced four new products that provide graphical development and information access capabilities for developers, database administrators and end-users of Microsoft Windows-, UNIX-, and Apple Macintosh-based systems. (Editors: see separate announcements for details.) Informix's tools plans focus on: Delivery of the industry's first DRDA gateway and ODBC bridge to enable Informix tools to access a broad range of database servers; Building high-productivity graphical extensions to the company's award-winning database language products; Expanding the Informix tools family to encompass tools optimized for the entire spectrum of business applications, from decision support to on-line transaction processing (OLTP). "Effective, productive, and flexible tools are the key to corporate computing strategies in the 1990s," said Tim Shetler, vice president of product marketing for Informix. "Companies migrating to client/server and distributed database environments are searching for tools that will help them build new applications rapidly and at a low cost. At the same time, these companies must find tools that help them access information residing in older legacy systems and in multiple data sources, across a mix of hardware platforms. Finally, today's tools must deliver readable, reusable code, to help reduce backlogs and maintenance costs into the future. "Informix tools answer these needs with technology tuned to developers' and users' real-world needs. Our products will make Informix the industry's only provider of a thoroughly open, graphical, and complete tool suite optimized for real-world business settings." Broad-based tool family supports range of application and developer types With its announcements today, Informix now supplies the broadest range of tools available from any database vendor. Only Informix tools span the complete range of application types, from complex EIS/decision support to on-line transaction processing (OLTP). They also span an array of developer types, from high-level database language users to database administrators to "power" and novice end-users. In addition to its powerful line of 4GL products for advanced development of transaction processing applications, Informix today announced a new graphical tool set optimized for decision support applications. Called INFORMIX-HyperScript Tools, the new product is a visual programming environment and graphical database language. The product features tools for screen and menu painting, a powerful spreadsheet, full built in SQL support , and a graphical debugger. The Informix tool set is further expanded by the addition of two new tools for database administrators and end-users. INFORMIX-DBA is a complete graphical schema builder for database administrators. It enables DBAs to interactively create and modify database schemas and gives MIS control over what information is queried and who initiates the query. End-users then use INFORMIX-ViewPoint to interactively query the database without having to understand the underlying database structure. Together, the two products give end-users faster, easier access to data without sacrificing the control and data integrity MIS requires. HyperScript Tools, INFORMIX-DBA, INFORMIX-ViewPoint, are all currently slated to ship within 90 days on Microsoft Windows. Open tools via DRDA, ODBC, DAL Informix will deliver open tools that can be used to develop applications for a range of multi-vendor databases. The company will deliver a DRDA gateway, which will enable applications developed for Informix servers to access information stored in IBM DB2 databases, and databases running on IBM AS/400 and OS/2 platforms. Later this year, a comprehensive ODBC bridge is now scheduled that will allow Informix tools running on Microsoft Windows clients to access a variety of SQL databases. In addition, the company is developing programming and end-user tools for the Macintosh environment, which will access Informix and other SQL databases via DAL interfaces. Graphical extensions for high efficiency, productivity Informix is also delivering tools that employ graphical, event-driven interfaces, to increase the productivity of developers and end users while reducing long-term maintenance and upkeep costs. The first in this line is the INFORMIX-4GL/GX product, which enables developers to target both graphical- and character-based environments with a single piece of code. The company also plans to ship INFORMIX-4GL for Windows, a complete graphical development language for building and deploying applications in the Microsoft Windows environment. Informix plans to deliver additional graphical extensions to its family of high-level database languages, with a product code-named 4GL++. This tool will add visual class libraries and other graphical extensions to the INFORMIX-4GL product line, thereby enabling more rapid development of commercial applications using reusable screen icons and other visual elements. All Informix 4GL products produce easily readable, modular code that enables developers to rapidly build and upgrade complex applications while reducing long-term maintenance costs. About Informix Informix Software, Inc., is a leading supplier of information management software providing solutions from the database through the desktop. Informix products include powerful distributed database management systems, robust application development tools and graphical- and character-based productivity software for delivering information to every significant desktop platform. With corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Informix has European headquarters in London, and Asia/Pacific headquarters in Singapore. # # # INFORMIX UNVEILS GRAPHICAL END-USER, DATABASE ACCESS TOOLS FOR CORPORATE DATABASES SuperViews Feature Masks Complexity of Database for End-Users, Maintains MIS Control Over Data MENLO PARK, Calif., (March 1, 1993) Informix Software Inc. (NASDAQ:IFMX) today introduced INFORMIX-ViewPoint, a graphical database front-end that gives end-users easy access to data stored in corporate databases, and INFORMIX-DBA, a graphical tool that lets database administrators create or modify the database sche