Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!xenitec!timk
From: timk@xenitec.on.ca (Tim Kuehn)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Moving to the Unix environment from Clipper and MS-DOeSn't.
Summary: Which unix to go to?
Message-ID: <1989Oct13.170100.11288@xenitec.on.ca>
Date: 13 Oct 89 17:01:00 GMT
Reply-To: timk@xenitec.UUCP (Tim Kuehn)
Organization: TDK Consulting
Lines: 39

In article <5796@tank.uchicago.edu> monty@delphi.UUCP (Monty Mullig) writes:
>In article <5809@decvax.dec.com> f0057@uafhp.uucp (James Everett Ward) writes:
>>
>>We are looking into projects that recquire multiuser ability and multitasking
>>would just be a boon.  I desire to move into the Unix world.  What would be
>>the easiest transition for a team of Clipper programmers (dBASE III+) as far
>>as programming languages go?  
>>James E. Ward

>i have to suggest starting from scratch.  the MS-DOS and unix worlds
>are so different and the db packages available on unix so richly
>featured that i think trying to preserve the clipper/dos programming
>environment would severely limit you in the long run, or at least
>would deny you the best of the unix world and its software.  just my
>opinion, though.
>
>--monty

Actually part of the question is "Which unix are you going to use"? If you 
go to the SCO Xenix/Unix then you can get the SCO version of Foxbase/+ 2.1 
which runs virutally identical to the ms-dos version. There are some 
differences between clipper and foxbase/+ (f-base doesn't do windows as 
easily as clipper's dbedit and memoedit functions, but then clipper doesn't 
allow you the kind of macro-command creation/execution f-base does. There 
are other dielectical-type differences, but once you get over those the 
environment's are actually quite similar. The 'windowing' question 
can be addressed in f-base by writing your own 'dbedit' function (or 
buy the one I'm just about finished writing :-) no commercialisim intended...) 

However, if you go to a 4GL or SQL type package, then yes - you will
be starting from scratch. How much of a scratch I don't know, not having 
used any of the 4gl's out there yet. 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Timothy D. Kuehn	       			       timk@xenitec.on.ca     |
|TDK Consulting Services			       !watmath!xenitec!timk  |
|871 Victoria St. North, Suite 217A					      |
|Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2B 3S4 		       (519)-741-3623 	      |
|DOS/Xenix - SW/HW. uC, uP, DBMS. 		       Satisfaction Guaranteed|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+