[comp.os.msdos.apps] Personal RBase vs Clarion Personal Developer

kim@m44.unm.edu (03/18/91)

In article <91077.105954DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu>, DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) writes:
>I was in a local software shop and just ran across Personal RBase
>on their shelf (I think it's a new product).
>
>I'd been looking at getting Clarion Personal Developer up to this
>point.  I've seen a demo-disk of Clarion before.  The professional
>versions of both products have received excellent ratings.
>
>Both are reasonably priced (<$100).  Both seem to be full-featured
>(for the price, anyway) environments for application development.
>I'm not interested in a product confined to an environment (IE you
>must own software X in order to run an application, template, or
>worksheet written for it).  Right now I'm leaning towards Clarion.
>
>- Does anyone have experience with either or both (I'm interested
>  in these versions, not the full-blown development versions - I
>  believe that apps from either can be moved to their 'big brother').
>
>- Clarion specifically allows redistribution (with a special execute-
>  only runtime module).  Does Personal Rbase (1) allow redistribution
>  of applications ?  (2) Provide a runtime program of sorts for their
>  apps ?  I'm not (right now, anyway) looking at commercial or shareware
>  redistribution, but I might down the road a little bit.
>
>- Are either program 'crippled' ?  Clarion doesn't appear to be in any
>  significant way.  What about Personal Rbase ?
>
>Thanks, Doug

I thought that personal Rbase was a stripped down version of the MIcrorim RBase
3.1 database program.  As such, it has all of the features of RBase 3.1, except
that it does not have a "command line" mode (equivalent to dBase dot prompt). 
I *think* it was intended as a menu-driven relational database program for
individual users.  Probably the best source of detailed info on its
capabilities would be the Microrim tech service line, whose number I don't
know.  It should be on the package, however.
Daniel Kim

DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) (03/18/91)

I was in a local software shop and just ran across Personal RBase
on their shelf (I think it's a new product).

I'd been looking at getting Clarion Personal Developer up to this
point.  I've seen a demo-disk of Clarion before.  The professional
versions of both products have received excellent ratings.

Both are reasonably priced (<$100).  Both seem to be full-featured
(for the price, anyway) environments for application development.
I'm not interested in a product confined to an environment (IE you
must own software X in order to run an application, template, or
worksheet written for it).  Right now I'm leaning towards Clarion.

- Does anyone have experience with either or both (I'm interested
  in these versions, not the full-blown development versions - I
  believe that apps from either can be moved to their 'big brother').

- Clarion specifically allows redistribution (with a special execute-
  only runtime module).  Does Personal Rbase (1) allow redistribution
  of applications ?  (2) Provide a runtime program of sorts for their
  apps ?  I'm not (right now, anyway) looking at commercial or shareware
  redistribution, but I might down the road a little bit.

- Are either program 'crippled' ?  Clarion doesn't appear to be in any
  significant way.  What about Personal Rbase ?

Thanks, Doug
--
Doug Sewell, Tech Support, Computer Center,         doug@ysub.bitnet
Youngstown State University, Youngstown,  OH 44555  doug@ysub.ysu.edu
The Berlin Wall is the defining achievement of socialism. - George Will

DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) (03/19/91)

In article <00945CA1.45D8C020@m44.unm.edu>, kim@m44.unm.edu says:
>
>
>I thought that personal Rbase was a stripped down version of the MIcrorim
>RBase
>3.1 database program.  As such, it has all of the features of RBase 3.1,
>except
>that it does not have a "command line" mode (equivalent to dBase dot prompt).

That's pretty-much the same difference between Clarion Personal and Pro-
fessional developer (there are others - you can't use the language extension
modules with personal, etc).  There was a comparison between the two Clarion
products in a recent Programmer's Connection catalog.  One note - Clarion's
Personal Developer is at R2.0, Professional Developer has been upgraded to
2.1.  I'm not sure what the significance is.

It sounds like Personal Rbase is going for the same market - personal
relational database needs that full Clarion/Rbase/dBase/Paradox would
be overkill.  Little things like "can I give a copy of this CD database
application to my friends if they don't have personal Rbase" were what
I was concerned about.

Doug