Re: Informix 4gl vs Powerbuilderish products?

Mancunian1@aol.com wrote: >I work in a comany using 4gl, online 5.0, dumb terminals, 50+ multi-users. >Does anyone have any thoughts on Informix 4gl vs Powerbuilderish products? >Here are a few of mine for you to agree / disagree with. >1. With 50 data entry multi-users using the same 4ge, 50 $300 terminals is a >very cheap alternative to 50 PCs all with powerbuiler Enterprise loaded. A >definite plus for 4gl. >2. Powerbuilder has a much more user friendly interface and is easier to >program (think of what a pain input arrays are in 4gl). >3. Powerbuilder is Future 4gl is past. (just look at the emphasis, or lack >of, Informix put on 4gl these days.) >Which way would you go? There are a number of pros and cons: 1. Find out how much it costs to repair one of those $300 ASCII terminals. Entry level PC's are being produced in such volume that they have become very competitive with ASCII terminals. Replacement parts are also a problem. What goes first is often the keyboard. Last time I looked, an ASCII keyboard cost 3 times as much as a comparable PC keyboard. Where are you going to be in 5 years? I was in an analogous situation several years back where we gradually replaced Wyse 50's as they broke with entry level PC's that we could fix ourselves. 2. Good MIS people have to stay technologically current. To be honest, I can't think of many database people I know who would take a job in an i4gl environment. How are you going to attract talented people? 3. Product improvements. What are Informix's future plans for an ASCII version of i4gl [heh, heh]? Will they be supporting it in 5 years? 4. Wordprocessors or Spreadsheets - Will your workers ever need them? One you have used MSWindows versions, it is tough going back to ASCII versions. Even the lowliest clerk is bright enough to realize that MS Windows skills are a sine qua non for potential advancement. 5. Reports. There are an increasing number of 3rd party report generator type products that produce fancy whiz bang reports. You can also use them in conjunction with forms stock and laser printers to produce fancy billings, statements, invoices, advertisements, etc. and other things of this nature. Admittedly, I have done this using embedded escape sequences with i4gl but it was very painful. On the other hand: 1. Software is incredibly inexpensive. I recently threw away a 20 User version of WordPerfect 4.1 for UNIX as well as several old versions of Informix including i4gl. By dumpster diving [I'm being serious] you should get software for almost nothing. Support may be a problem, however. 2. Hardware will be very inexpensive. Several years back using Digiboard 8 port MUXES, I was able to hang 20 data entry people off a 486-50 running SCO Unix with only the normal amount of grumbling. I accomodated expansion by networking two of them together. 3. Client/Server SW development is very expensive (particularly if you get the wrong people in and have to do it twice). Network maintenance and installation is expensive. Also, why use Powerbuilder? There are intermediate products that won't cost as much. Or, if you have existing 4gl, you can port to NewEra and reuse much of the code. In fact, in your shoes, I would buy a copy of NewEra (and associated stuff, including inet, Visual C++) and a PC (use Win95); network your PC and server [ a poor man's TCP/IP network would consist of 2 LAN cards at 70 to $100 each (I use 3com 3C509's) plus some coax - TCP/IP software may be extra depending on your server); and do a test port of one of your 4gl applications. (You can access the same database with both, you know). This should give you some metrics; provide opportunity for your staff ; and demonstrate frugality to management. More importantly, by acquiring experience inexpensively, you will be better prepared for the day on which you inevitably transition to client/server. Anyway, Good Luck Hal