Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!cronkite!newstop!grapevine!west!barbados!gordon
From: gordon@barbados.uk.sun.com (G Rehling. SUN UK S+LHC Gatwic)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Questions on TOP*CASE
Message-ID: <1825@west.West.Sun.COM>
Date: 24 Jun 91 12:59:34 GMT
Sender: news@west.West.Sun.COM
Reply-To: gordon@barbados.uk.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Lines: 20

I went to a user group meeting a few months ago and saw a few major
name customers e.g BULL, Shell... 

Bull particularly seemed to be big users of the product and had nothing but praise.

All the users seemed very happy - one guy runs a s/w consultancy and
claims to have developed a fairly large system in a matter of weeks -
support is great 'cos mods are made very easily and the system just needs a re-compile
to propogate the changes i.e. all mods are in the data dictionary, you don't have to
fiddle with the generated code.

They also showed an X11 based (Athena widgets - contrary to 
claimed OPEN LOOK and MOTIF) front end which dynamically creates the
X11 screens from the data dictionary, i.e. no recompile of front-ends when
fields change 'cos it's all dynamic. Extensions for business graphics as part of
the X11 interface are planned.

Comparing TOP*CASE and SQL*Forms.... in Forms you 
often have to patch up the code for ref integrity and other little things... in TOP*CASE
you describe it all in the data dictionary, so the generated code is the final code.