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From: normb@sequent.UUCP (Norm Browne)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: 5GLs, as defined in Jessica Keyes' article
Keywords: Uniface, 5GLs, dbms
Message-ID: <37595@sequent.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jun 90 23:46:05 GMT
References: <1192@abcom.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: normb@sequent.UUCP (Norm Browne)
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc
Lines: 33

In article <1192@abcom.ATT.COM> brr@abcom.ATT.COM (Rao) writes:

>	The question still remains, what other features should
>	a 5GL include?

My last response to this request was a quip upon which I will now
expand.

What is a 4GL?  [For if we can't define that what is the point of
speculating about a 5GL?]

A 4GL is a programming/development environment of a higher abstraction
level than is typical of 3GLs.  A 4GL is not a general purpose computing
language.  A 4GL is available only from one vendor though it may be
available on many hardware platforms and support more than its own DBMS.
4GLs are typically database specific; which is not necessarily bad, but
is all computing database oriented?

Is a 4GL even a language?  Not ABF, or SQL*Forms, or Accell which are
forms driven, whereas Focus, Informix 4GL and Progress are more
`language' like.  Is a 4GL both an end user and programmer tool?
Does it make sense for it to be both?  If not, which is the appropriate
role for a 4GL (and consequently a 5GL)?

All of this is not to disparage any products I have mentioned (or any
I have omitted), as they have value.  My point is that there is not
one iota of consensus as to what makes a piece of software a 4GL.
Given this, why even bother trying to define what a 5GL might be?
[Or as I said before, a 5GL should do what you want, not what you tell it.]


..NB
..disclaimer: not the opinion of Sequent... blah, blah, blah