Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!isi.edu!venera.isi.edu!onder From: onder@ISI.EDU (Bruce Onder) Newsgroups: comp.databases Subject: Re: R:BASE 3.1A ----- R:BASE IN GENERAL ********** Message-ID: <18360@venera.isi.edu> Date: 25 Jun 91 18:58:55 GMT References: Sender: news@isi.edu Organization: USC-ISI Lines: 50 In-reply-to: mekos@caen.engin.umich.edu's message of 24 Jun 91 21:37:45 GMT In article mekos@caen.engin.umich.edu (Howard S. Nichols Jr.) writes: > I would like some feedback on the viablity of R:BASE 3.1a as the platform >for a large database project.I see few postings on R:BASE or MICRORIM, is this >because of any particular reason. Well, yes, at least in my particular case. The reason is: R:Base bites! It's slow. It's clunky. It's not state of the art. It's not even 5 years behind the times, it's so outdated. Try to check for the existence of a file. Try to find out what the name of the currently-connected database is. Try to write error-handlers. R:Base was *the* choice in its time -- the early 80s. *IF* you needed to have SQL, R:Base was for you. Now, most everything else blows it away. Of course, R:Base gurus know a way to do everything in R:Base (only it takes a hundred lines of obscure code, uses undocumented features, relies on C code, or what have you) but you can do the same thing in any of a number of competing products with a simple keyword, function, or UDF. And of course you gotta know an R:Base guru to help you out... And the Microrim people have a pat response for any problems or limitations you might take to them: It's being fixed in the next release. The most impressive thing, IMO, about Microrim is: people still buy R:Base. People still use it. Why? Ya got me. > Recomendations for an alternative DOS based relational database would >be appreciated also. R:base is a passable product if you just need to create some tables and make relations between them. For any real applications, I suggest you move to something else. Specifically, I suggest you wait until FoxPro 2.0 hits the street. Bruce -- Bruce W. Onder onder@isi.edu (He's not your everyday-type prankster!) I'm Ice-T: Original Gangster (O.G.: Original Gangster)