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From: AR.HFN@forsythe.stanford.edu (Hooshyar Naraghi)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Anyone in the PICK world listening?
Message-ID: <1991May24.032325.17880@morrow.stanford.edu>
Date: 24 May 91 03:23:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: morrow.1991May24.032325.17880
Sender: news@morrow.stanford.edu (News Service)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Data Center, Stanford University, California, USA
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In article <bsms.675021447@hippo>,
bsms@hippo.ru.ac.za (Malcolm Sainsbury) writes:
>>tba@hbiso.ma02.bull.com (Todd Aubin ) writes:
>
>>Just spotted this group.
>>Has their ever been activity here concerning the use of
>>PICK (specifically PICK-on-UNIX like the Ultimate Ult/IX
>>product, the V-Mark Universe Product, etc., etc.)
>

I can't help it but answer this one.  We implemented the V-mark
Universe on top of a Unix box (HP9000, 835 series, risc arch.) here
at the university.  We then used one of the exisiting Work Order
Management applications from an outlet called TSW in Atlanta, Ga for
our maintenance operation.

I am myself from the RDBMS world, so I had to study Pick to
understand its underlaying principles.  The system was commissioned
over one year ago and has been stable since then.  Vmark has done a
good job (above average) to port Unix to Unix land.  I understand
they run on many Unix boxes from the SCO Unix on 386's to IBM 6000.

If you run pick on top of unix, the first thing you learn is that
you must master both environments.  If you are a pure programmer,
then you would not need to know much about unix.  You would probably
never see the shell prompt.  But, the sys. admin. for this machine
must occupy a dual position, IMHO.  You upgrade chain of events goes
like Unix-->Vmark-->application.  It is not a straightforward episode
in a typical weekend, but if you do your homework before actually
starting the upgrade, you will come out of it as a hero!  But, I
think that is almost true in other situations.

I personally do not like the BASIC language development environment,
because I am a 4gl person so this is subjective.  It is still a
powerful language with all the system function calls and capabilities.
The new version of Vmark is going to be introducing a user interface
for novice users in the report writing arena, enhancing its built-in
report writer called Retrieve.  I guess they will also introduce the
TCP/IP and SQL capabilities in the new version.

Would I implement another Pick/Unix system again?  It will have a
lot to do with the application.  If you can identify the application
in the pick world, then you might save yourself many thousand hours
of development.  The time to port a pure pick application to Vmark
pick is by far less than the time required to start from scratch.

When we hooked HP to facilitate the Vmark port to their machine, we
argued that many existing and reliable pick-based applications
will become available in the Unix land overnight.  They bought the
idea.  In fact, it is just happening this way these days.

If you already own a Unix machine running some other application,
and need to install a new application in pick, then Vmark or the
like is a practical approach.  In addition, you need to weigh the
future and sustainability of Vmark company against those of RDBMS
publishers.  In the final analysis, I believe your implementation
proposal ought to include Pick/Unix among other options, but the
decision always boils down to the standards and strategical
objectives you must have established in choosing the application
environment.

On another note, I too like to know if there exists a pick newsgroup
somewhere.

Thanks,
Hooshyar F. Naraghi
(415) 324-1055
AR.HFN@forsythe.stanford.edu

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***  I am not a Stanford employee anymore, just consulting these ***
***  days.  But, I will always bleed red color if I am cut.      ***
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