Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!udel!princeton!njsmu!mccc!labii!shevett
From: shevett@labii.UUCP (Dave Shevett)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re^2: Moving to the Unix environment from Clipper and MS-DOeSn't.
Message-ID: <226@labii.UUCP>
Date: 15 Oct 89 01:33:40 GMT
References: <5809@decvax.dec.com> <5796@tank.uchicago.edu>
Organization: Labyrinth II BBS - W. Trenton, NJ
Lines: 44

monty@delphi.uchicago.edu (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+) ...

>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

I think you should seriously look at Foxbase under [X|U]nix.  If you're
already familiar with the dBase III structure, Foxbase will serve you fine,
and you can port your application to the Unix system with NO mods (save
possibly reindexing your files).  I developed a big Foxbase application
under DOS, including file and record locking, and it ported to Unix and ran
ON THE FIRST TRY.  

Foxbase supports file/record locking, so multi-user access to dbf's are no
problem.  Second, you can call Unix functions from with a Foxbase program
as a background or foreground task (using shell escapes).  I added a
function to my Unix program to allow a person to check mail from inside the
program.  All I did was:
	if mcommand = 'M'
		!mailx
	endif

If I wanted to run another task in the background that didn't need
interactive I/O, you could push it into the background and return to the
application via a !function & command.  (gee, I wonder how that would work?
Isn't & a comment in Foxbase?  Has anyone done this?)

I'll admit I'm biased, but I haven't found a major need to dish out 
bucks x 10^XXX for a large dbms when Foxbase has everything I need...

/--------------------+ 'The shortest distance +------------------\
|    Dave Shevett    |  between two puns is a | Labyrinth II BBS |
| shevett@labii.UUCP |  straight line...'     |  W. Trenton, NJ  |
\--------------------+       - Doc Webster    +------------------/