Re: What EXACTLY do I need to purchase and WHY?!?!

Andy Mikesell writes: |> We are considering purchasing 4GL/GX to create an interface to our |> database. The hardware is a Sun SPARC running Solaris 2.2 and SE 4.0. |> |> We have existing C programs that will need to return values to the |> created interface. |> |> The question is *which products(s) do I need?* I have conflicting |> reports from Informix that I need RDS, in addtion to 4GL/GX. Another |> support rep told me I do not need RDS. Which is true? Another rep |> kept referring to RDS as 4RGL. Is RDS the same as 4RGL? |> |> Why do I need RDS? It is my understanding that 4GL/GX will allow me |> to do SQL calls directly to the database, so I only need to be |> concerned with the C progrmas. Does 4GL/GX not take care of the |> return values to the C programs? Is *this* why I need RDS? |> |> What else does RDS do that 4GL/GX does not? 4GL/GX is a *runner* that takes RDS-generated Pcode and runs it in a X/Motif environment. You need RDS in order to compile your 4gl code into Pcode. GX does not provide any compilation capability. If you are planning on developing turnkey type applications, you will only need RDS on your development machines; 4gl/GX alone can run on the "production" machines after you have copied the Pcode over to those machines. As per the C programs, you can only return a single numeric value from a called program (essentially, a return code). If you need to return multiple values, you will need to call a C function, which in turn requires that you create a custom 4gl/GX runner that has those C functions linked in. Dave Kosenko Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this message are not those of Informix Software, its partners or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itching for a fight. **************************************************************************** "I look back with some satisfaction on what an idiot I was when I was 25, but when I do that, I'm assuming I'm no longer an idiot." - Andy Rooney