tron1@tronsbox.xei.com (Kenneth Jamieson) (01/13/91)
Hey gang , whats up ?? I just got this postcard in the mail today from Lattice Inc. They are blowing out some software , and I see that they list the "dBC III library" for $25. Now, I am about to embark on a dtabase project for my self here at home and wonder if this will save me any work or if it is like the "C++" compiler ( 1/2 ;-) ). Anyone use(ing) this thing ?? Is it worth the $25 ?? -- ========[ Xanadu Enterprises Inc. Amiga & Unix Software Development]======= = "I hate you, take your things and get out of this house!!!!!" = = (pause) - "Hold me!" ( same girl, elapsed time 6.5 seconds) = =========== Ken Jamieson: uunet!tronsbox.xei.com!tron1 =================== = NONE of the opinions represented here are endorsed by anybody. = === The Romantic Encounters BBS 201-759-8450(PEP) / 201-759-8568(2400) ====
keithh@bwdls40.bnr.ca (Keith Hanlan) (01/19/91)
In article <645@tronsbox.xei.com> tron1@tronsbox.xei.com (Kenneth Jamieson) writes: > I just got this postcard in the mail today from Lattice Inc. > They are blowing out some software , and I see that they list the > "dBC III library" for $25. > > Now, I am about to embark on a dtabase project for my self here > at home and wonder if this will save me any work or if it > is like the "C++" compiler ( 1/2 ;-) ). > > Anyone use(ing) this thing ?? Is it worth the $25 ?? I share Ken's concern and would also be interested in any net.experience. For those that are interested, here is what Lattice's product catalogue has to say about these two packages: PANEL: (As opposed to Panal Plus II which is only available on the MS-DOS platform and is quite a bit more expensive) Version Number: 1.0 List Price: $195.00 (does not include source code) "PANEL gives you a large set of interactive screen design tools and library functions to help you create application screens. With PANEL, you can mark out entry fields, define display and entry attributes, help boxes, borders, and pop-up areas. Fields can be moved, edited, and resized. Validation details can be entered with the screen displayed so you can see the effect of any changes. PANEL saves the work to disk to form a library of screens that can be dynamically loaded by your program, or it can generate the C data structures, field areas, and header files to be compiled and linked into your C programs." Questions specific to PANEL: o How does it compare with PowerWindows 2.0 from Inovatronics? o How useful will it remain once 2.0 becomes readily available? (to those of us underprivileged non-3000 owners :-) Lattice dBC III: Versions Number 2.0 List Price: $150.00 "dBC III C function library gives you an alternative to programming in the dBASE interpretive language. With dBC III you can write C programs that create, access, and update files that are compatible with Ashton-Tate's dBASE III database management system. You do not need to have dBASE in order to use dBC III library, since dBC III functions give you a complete Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) package by itself. dBC III functions let you open and process up to ten data files, ten Index files, and ten Memo files simultaneously. Written in C, your database programs can take advantage of many other C libraries that support such tasks as screen and window management, graphics, and statistical analyses. Generic Questions: o Is there going to be any need for an upgrade in order to take advantage of 2.0? o Are they any good? o Is the documentation good? O Are examples included? Your net.help is much appreciated, Keith Hanlan keithh@bnr.ca Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada 613-765-4645
jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) (01/22/91)
Quoted from <5279@bwdls58.UUCP> by keithh@bwdls40.bnr.ca (Keith Hanlan): > Questions specific to PANEL: > o How does it compare with PowerWindows 2.0 from Inovatronics? If it's anything like Panel Plus II, and I'm pretty sure from the docs to PPII (MS-DOS version) that it is, it will be a text input sort of thing. You draw up a "panel", which is a heirarchy of text screens. A typical setup, for example, involving three levels to a panel: Level 1: User ID.: || Password: |||||||| Level 2: User ID.: || Password: |||||||| New password: |||||||| \ this is the level 2 stuff, Confirm.....: |||||||| / with level 1 still on screen Level 3: User ID.: || Password: |||||||| Date....: |||||||| \ level 3, includes level 1 but Time....: |||||||| / covers level 2 Input is into things like the Intuition string gadgets, except the programmer has much more control over what happens on each keystroke. No Intuition menus or genuine Intuition gadgets. Not a typical Intuitionly interface. I find the MS-DOS version a pain, but that's as much because of the application I use it with as because of PPII itself (the application depends on messing around with stuff deep in PPII, which is painful to maintain). On the other hand, they do have versions of Panel Plus for all sorts of machines, provide source, etc. I'd guess that Panel Plus gets more involved in handling the user interface than PowerWindows, but without real Intuition participation. > Keith Hanlan keithh@bnr.ca Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada 613-765-4645 -- *** John Bickers, TAP, NZAmigaUG. jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz *** *** "Patterns multiplying, re-direct our view" - Devo. ***