Re: Port Informix 3.3 -> Current Version. How Difficult?

I did this a couple of years ago. The ease depends how complex the 3.3 code was. If you used the C back code option to generate custom versions of perform and acego, which you probably did if you wanted anything like a TP system or cross file updating then it a complete re write. ISQL has no equivalent of DBFIND etc. you need another tool. I used I-4GL which was a bit of a learning experience but not too bad. Turning c into I4GL was quite easy. Converting pure Ace reports and Perform screens is easy and 95% can be done with sed scripts (I seem to remember) the syntax is a bit differrent but not huge. I suggest you E Mail me if youy have any specifics you want to toss around. In article <Pine.SUN.3.93.960507222324.6767A-100000@access2.digex.net> jamesp@scgdev.com "James Potts" writes: > We just completed this task at the U. S. Senate -- Informix 3.3 on an Altos > System V running Zenix 286 binaries. Most of our code was a re-write since > we took the system to client/server with a GUI front-end. However, we had to > convert the data, which we did by unloading it from 3.3 with informer scripts > to ascii files and loading the ascii files into SQL tables using the same > schema then, where appropriate, loading the new tables with SQL scripts or > with ESQL/C programs. > > Regarding the actual processing code, the 3.3 db calls, e.g., dbfind, > are completely different than SQL. The best direct port would be to try > to talk Informix out of the transition libraries they supplied but quit > supporting several years ago. If you could get those, the port becomes > more of a port and less a re-write. > > There's alot of other issues that need to be addressed, but are generally > specific to the application. If you'd like to follow-up with e-mail > feel free. > > HTH > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > James L. Potts, President Established Voice 703/803-8980 > System Composition Group, Ltd. 1989 Fax 703/803-9012 > 14563 Creek Branch Court e-mail Software james@scgdev.com > Centreville, VA 22020-1383 Engineering compuserve 71760,3011 > ------------------------- Phd. Accidental Engineering ------------------------- > > On Tue, 2 Apr 1996, Bob Roswell wrote: > > > Date: Tue, 02 Apr 1996 22:17:42 GMT > > From: Bob Roswell <broswell@syssrc.com> > > Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix > > Subject: Port Informix 3.3 -> Current Version. How Difficult? > > > > I'd like some advice/comments on the following debate. > > > > A company has an Informix based system (C Programs calling Informix > > 3.3 database, running on a AT&T 3B2 computer). The system meets the > > company needs, but the hardware is too slow and and is too hard to > > support. > > > > One side of the debate suggests porting the Informix 3.3 to a current > > version running on a Pentium and SCO Unix. This side is claiming that > > the port is trivial. > > > > The other side is claiming that the architecture of the new version of > > Informix is completely different and the system need a full rewrite > > just to port the system. Then, as long as we are rewriting, we should > > use SQL Server and NT. > > > > > > What do you think? Thanks. > > > > > > Bob Roswell > > System Source > > (410) 771-5544 ext 336 > > broswell@syssrc.com > > > > > > > > -- Martin How Diocese of London Buonacorsi Consulting Limited