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From: 6243tes@whuts.UUCP (STERKEL)
Newsgroups: net.database,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Knowledgeman/2 database product
Message-ID: <564@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Feb-86 13:02:11 EST
Article-I.D.: whuts.564
Posted: Thu Feb 27 13:02:11 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 04:20:35 EST
References: <1311@hcrvx1.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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Xref: watmath net.database:228 net.micro.pc:7186

> 
> 	Has anyone had any experience with the Knowledgeman (tm) or 
> Knowledgeman/2 database product by MDBS (Micro Data Base Systems) ? It
> is currently implemented on the IBM-PC under MS/PC DOS and under BSD 4.2
> on the VAX. It appears to be a very professional product with capabilities
> which make DB*SE-III and the like pale by comparison, especially in the
> richness of its programming language. Any comments, summaries would be greatly
> appreciated.
> 
> Brian Danylkiw
I have been using the K-Man 1.4 version for several years with great 
success.  K-Man/II is a much enhanced version with full menu for 
those users who really do not know what a data base is and do not
care, but "just gimme the answers".  K-Man is probably the only 
*really relational* database manager program for the PC.  Most pro-
ducts such as DB/III do a good job of faking it.

In the past, this *professional* and powerful product has suffered 
due to a small advertising budget, and we all KNOW that the so-
called reviewers never seem to give a review or even know about
products that currently are not advertising in their magazines.
[Before you flame, go back over the last 5 years of reviews and
note the strong correlation between reviews and size of advertise-
ments in the same issue].

The second problem was a manual that made the brash assumption that
the user was a professional that already understood the fundamentals
of data base operations.  The new K-Man/II has corrected this.

K-MAN was the first relational DBMS to *include* (not after-market)
text processing, spreadsheet (mediocre, maybe better now), real
graphics, color/graphics, mouse control, forms, input/output forms,
interactive forms control, a true Wirth-style language, C language
interface.

[For those who graduate from relational to "real databases", the 
same company markets MDBS III.  This is a true brute of a product,
with FORTRAN, assembly, C, COBOL, Basic, etc. interfaces, true
network and data dictionary capability and full screen control.
           Not for the faint of heart                              ]
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