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From: tleylan@pegasus.com (Tom Leylan)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: PC Magazine skipped Clipper...
Message-ID: <1991May14.203455.7766@pegasus.com>
Date: 14 May 91 20:34:55 GMT
References: <282b61ab.e65@petunia.CalPoly.EDU>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu
Lines: 37

In article <282b61ab.e65@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck) writes:
>
>I was excited to see the cover of my latest PC Magazine which said,
>Database Clout!  PC Labs tests 15 Relational Powerhouses.  But I was
>disappointed to find that nowhere was Clipper mentioned.  I am interested
>in rewriting a business application that is currently written in a 3GL
>business language into a database application.  Clipper is currently
>my platform of interest, and I had hoped to get some insight.
>
>Anyone want to try to tell where Clipper would fall in the PC Mag ratings?
>
John,

Most of the Clipper programmers have learned to live with not seeing the
product in comparisons in InfoWorld, PC Week and I guess now PC Magazine.

Much of the problem (I believe) is generated by a lack of an interactive
mode which after reading the notes on the back of the box is where a typical
"reviewer" goes.  They aren't likely to know all the packages and if they
know dBASE maybe they run it through Clipper and base their review on that
failing to notice that minor modifications can improve things considerably.

The benefits of Clipper 5.0 include "computer language" improvements which
I don't see coming from A-T and Fox.  If one is designing an end-user product
one tosses in a mouseable front end and another dozen built-in functions if
one is improving a language one adds, lexical variable scoping, code-blocks
virtual memory management and encourages people to abandon error-prone
activities like the CLEAR ALL command and the use of PUBLIC and PRIVATE
variables.

These kinds of benefits aren't glamorous enough for a reviewer at a magazine
to consider.  You know they review PC-Tools one week and Borland C++ the next
and I'm certain (he says with tongue in cheek) that they equally expert in
both.

tom
(ex-Senior Systems Analyst / Nantucket Corporation)