jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (Jayanti S. Kanal) (08/07/90)
(For some reason, the first posting of this message only showed 1/2 of the text, so I am posting it again.) I am looking for 2 pieces of database software, to be used for unrelated purposes. 1. I need a program for the Mac that can take dBase III+ code and a .dbf file created on an IBM PC type machine, execute the dBase code and allow us to add data to the database, and save the results in a format that can be sent back to the PC. The PC files are located in another organization - we must use their forms & structure and create records that can be sent back to them - basically we are filling out an electronic questionnaire. FoxBase for the Mac and McMax have been mentioned as possibilities. Has anyone out there used these packages successfully with code written in dBase III + on a PC? McMax is said to work, but I am not familiar with the software - does anyone have info or a recomendation regarding McMax? 2. I am also trying to find out if there is an Ingres front end for the Mac. We have Ingres running on a Sun workstation and would like to use the Macintosh to access a database on the Sun. I am aware of Oracle for the Mac, but we already have and would like to try using Ingres. Thanks in advance for any information. E-mail to jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (with gobs of information, I hope). Jaya Kanal, Systems Research Center, U of MD College Park
jamesd@techbook.com (James Deibele) (08/14/90)
McMax is from Nantucket Corporation, who also publish Clipper, a dBASE compiler
for the PC. From the reviews that I recall seeing, McMax is quite primitive by
comparison with FoxBase+/Mac --- it doesn't implement the Mac graphical
interface at all, plus it's significantly slower. There are no third party
books available for it, and I believe that sales are considerably less than
FoxBase+/Mac. (They've probably sold fewer copies than dBASE Mac, a scary
thought.)
I'd say go with FoxBase+.
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"Sitting on the console all day, watching the news scroll away ..."a_dent@vaxa.cc.uwa.oz.au (08/14/90)
In article <1990Aug7.132933.3413@ra.src.umd.edu>, jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (Jayanti S. Kanal) writes: > > > text, so I am posting it again.) > I am looking for 2 pieces of database software, to be used for unrelated > purposes. > 1. I need a program for the Mac that can take dBase III+ code and a .dbf file > created on an IBM PC type machine, execute the dBase code and allow us to > add data to the database, and save the results in a format that can be sent > back to the PC. The PC files are located in another organization - we must > use their forms & structure and create records that can be sent back to them - > basically we are filling out an electronic questionnaire. FoxBase for the Mac > and McMax have been mentioned as possibilities. Has anyone out there used > these packages successfully with code written in dBase III + on a PC? McMax is > said to work, but I am not familiar with the software - does anyone have info > or a recomendation regarding McMax? FoxBase+/Mac definitely works. I have a hearsay negative reaction to McMax from someone whose opinion I respect - Mc Max stinks by comparison > Thanks in advance for any information. E-mail to jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (with Sorry for posting - I can't send mail. > > Jaya Kanal, Systems Research Center, U of MD College Park Andy Dent A.D. Software phone 09 249 2719 Mac & VAX programmer 94 Bermuda Dve, Ballajura a_dent@vaxa.uwa.oz Western Australia 6066 a_dent@vaxa.uwa.oz.AU (international)
steve@violet.berkeley.edu (Steve Goldfield) (08/15/90)
In article <1990Aug14.211042.2058@vaxa.cc.uwa.oz.au> a_dent@vaxa.cc.uwa.oz.au writes: #>In article <1990Aug7.132933.3413@ra.src.umd.edu>, #>jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (Jayanti S. Kanal) writes: #>> #>> text, so I am posting it again.) #>> I am looking for 2 pieces of database software, to be used for unrelated #>> purposes. #>> 1. I need a program for the Mac that can take dBase III+ code and a .dbf file #>> created on an IBM PC type machine, execute the dBase code and allow us to #>> add data to the database, and save the results in a format that can be sent #>> back to the PC. The PC files are located in another organization - we must #>> use their forms & structure and create records that can be sent back to them - #>> basically we are filling out an electronic questionnaire. FoxBase for the Mac #>> and McMax have been mentioned as possibilities. Has anyone out there used #>> these packages successfully with code written in dBase III + on a PC? McMax is #>> said to work, but I am not familiar with the software - does anyone have info #>> or a recomendation regarding McMax? #> #>FoxBase+/Mac definitely works. I have a hearsay negative reaction to McMax #>from someone whose opinion I respect - Mc Max stinks by comparison #> #>> Thanks in advance for any information. E-mail to jaya@ra.src.umd.edu (with #> #>Sorry for posting - I can't send mail. #> #>> Jaya Kanal, Systems Research Center, U of MD College Park I've used both programs, though much more McMax than FoxBase. I must admit that I was very disappointed with FoxBase. I found it very inconvenient to use because it is so menu-driven. Certainly, it does implement Mac interface facilities much more and better than McMax does, but if all you want is a straight dBASE III+ interpreter, you might prefer McMax, which is also cheaper. McMax is an extension of dBASE III+ (for instance, it permits more variables than the original or than FoxBase, for that matter, which is also an extension). I also didn't like the way FoxBase took over my McMax programs like a virus. It changed the file type so that McMax could no longer run them. Converting from McMax to FoxBase was thus quite painful. I haven't run dBASE III+ from a PC. I have converted dBASE II code to dBASE III+ on a PC and then run it without too many changes in McMax. Ditto for FoxBase. I've also manually converted dBASE II to McMax. FoxBase is slightly faster than McMax according to benchmarking in MacWorld. It is more widely used and thus better-supported. Still, I think it is overkill to say that McMax "stinks." It does what it says it will do quite well. I've been running databases in McMax for about three years now without many problems. FoxBase does offer a networked version; McMax doesn't so far. If you basically just want to run dBASE III+ code, McMax will do it. There is a university price direct from Nantucket. If you want the full Mac implementation, however, you will need FoxBase. Steve Goldfield
steve@violet.berkeley.edu (Steve Goldfield) (08/16/90)
In article <1990Aug14.055348.19992@techbook.com> jamesd@techbook.com (James Deibele) writes:
#>McMax is from Nantucket Corporation, who also publish Clipper, a dBASE compiler
#>for the PC. From the reviews that I recall seeing, McMax is quite primitive by
#>comparison with FoxBase+/Mac --- it doesn't implement the Mac graphical
#>interface at all, plus it's significantly slower. There are no third party
#>books available for it, and I believe that sales are considerably less than
#>FoxBase+/Mac. (They've probably sold fewer copies than dBASE Mac, a scary
#>thought.)
#>
#>I'd say go with FoxBase+.
#>--
#>jamesd@techbook.COM ...!{tektronix!nosun,uunet}!techbook!jamesd
McMax Version 2.0 does implement the interface (buttons,
pull-down menus, XCMDs, etc.), though it's cumbersome to program
these and I haven't installed them in any of my databases in
McMax. It isn't significantly slower. In the MacWorld tests,
FoxBase and McMax were much faster than anything else and
McMax was only slightly slower than FoxBase.
I've considered converting to FoxBase, but as I mentioned
yesterday, that is quite painful and expensive. For the simple
purpose of running dBASE III+ programs on the Mac, McMax doesn't
have any special disadvantages compared to FoxBase and is quite
a bit cheaper.
I'm not promoting McMax, but from my experience, the negative
things I've seen about it are not justified. I've been using
it for about 3 years. One example of what I prefer; the FoxBase
program editor is a pain to use. With McMax, I use Edit, which
came with it. But Edit can't edit FoxBase files. Also, I found
that FoxBase's menu-driven, multiple-window approach got in my
way in programming and debugging a database. To me, that's an
example where the Mac approach is a hindrance.
Steve Goldfield