Re: Dynamic 4GL

Jonathan Leffler wrote: > > On Tue, 15 Dec 1998, Dave McNight wrote: <snip> > > It would be nice when the ODS needs upgraded that we are not forced to > > go through this recompile/testing effort. > > If you retain your existing ESQL/C and D4GL installation, you don't have > to recompile with an upgrade of ODS, any more than you would with I4GL > et al. But, it requires you to keep separate things separate. If you > upgrade your ESQL/C as well as ODS and remove the old version, then you > have recompilation to do. The rule of thumb is to recompile -- the > recompilation, even of big systems, should be automatable if not already > automated. Testing is more problematic, but if you only upgrade the > engine, then the only changes should be in the speed with which the > results are returned from the database. > How I wish I could really believe that the "only changes should be in the speed..."! I used to believe this of Informix but not any more. I always test a new release, particularly against my favourite bugs. Why do we have to pay for the software *and* do Informix's QA? I'd rather do QA for GNU. My advice: don't upgrade unless you really have to. Treat it like a new software purchase, risk assessment, project plan, the lot. Trade off the promised new features with the (unpromised) bugs and incompatibilities. Maybe if we all refused to upgrade unless the quality was there we might get manufacturers to pay attention to this issue. > <snip> > Yours, > Jonathan Leffler (jleffler@informix.com) #include <witticism.h> > Guardian of DBD::Informix v0.60 -- http://www.perl.com/CPAN > Informix IDN for D4GL & Linux -- http://www.informix.com/idn -- Peter Lancashire Information Systems Specialist, Bayer plc Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AH, UK Tel: +44-1635-562258, Fax: +44-1635-562281 -- If all else fails, read the instructions and the release notes. Join Infuse, the UK Informix User Group at http://www.infuse.org.uk/ -- Peter Lancashire Information Systems Specialist, Bayer plc Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AH, UK Tel: +44-1635-562258, Fax: +44-1635-562281 -- If all else fails, read the instructions and the release notes. Join Infuse, the UK Informix User Group at http://www.infuse.org.uk/