Re: Dynamic 4GL

Dave McNight wrote: > > When ever we upgrade Online Dynamic Server, we are recommended or > required to upgrade the tools (4GL, ISQL, RDS, ID) for compatability > reasons unless we use the relay module functionality (not recommended > normally). All of our 4GL code is recompiled. This recompile and > testing effort takes a lot of time and effort to insure that > applications still work as the user expects. It seems like we have to go > through this process yearly. With a limited staff, this results in a lot > of unproductive time as far management is concerned. > > Is Dynamic 4GL any different in this regard? It would be nice when the > ODS needs upgraded that we are not forced to go through this > recompile/testing effort. Also is it easy to port 4GL apps to D4GL when > we have many C functions included in fglgo runners currently? > > Our management is potentially looking at some alternatives to 4GL to > get our programmers into a GUI environment and loosen the dependence of > the application from the chosen DBMS (though we are not looking at > ORACLE or SYSBASE as alternatives to Informix DS, at least not in near > term). Any comments and suggestions are most welcome. Let me start by saying that except for recompiling from C4GL V4.xx to V6.xx (to avoid the relay module) I have not had to recompile ANY 4GL application to keep it working properly yet! With the shared libraries used in C4GL 7.10+ you must keep the older shared libraries around and in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH (ahead of newer ones for older programs) but everything keeps working. So you are going through a lot of additional testing for nothing in my opinion. Informix has always warned not to use apps compiled with older versions of the tools with newer engines but except for a few exceptions, always related to changes in the network protocols (ie from 5.04->5.05/5.06, from 5.xx->6.00, from 6.00->7.xx). That said, the direct answer is that D4GL is developed by 4Js and does not depend on Informix libraries at all so you should be very safe in just compile and forget mode. Art S. Kagel