[Ham-Computers] RE: windows stuff

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Ken,

dBase is still in business.  The current version is a full blown 32-bit 
program which has gone through several revisions.  It's sorta like most Linux 
stuff.  You'll have to go looking for it.  You aren't likely to run across it on 
sale in the Sunday papers or on the bargain stable at your local consumer 
orientated computer super store.  

The main problem with converting my accounting system to it is that I didn't 
start the process several years ago.  The "easy" path is to convert to the 
16-bit windows version first using utilities that came with it.  Then to 32-bit 
using further utilities.  The main fly in the ointment seems to be reports, 
which as you can imagine, an accounting package has many of.  The 16-bit version 
went to using something called Crystal Reports instead of native code.  The 32 
bit version dropped Crystal Reports and went back to something similar to 
what was in the 8-bit DOS version.  So the preferred path seems to be to convert 
everything but the reports to the 16-bit version.  And then convert it to the 
32-bit version and covert the DOS reports directly.

On the plus side, although one or two version changes were made to the data 
files (DBF, MDX and maybe NDX), all of the versions can be set to run against 
the original dBase IV and dBase for DOS version's files without first doing an 
automatic conversion (which isn't backwards compatible).

In a message dated 8/31/2005 7:59:04 AM Central Daylight Time, 
wa3fkg at verizon.net writes: 
> When I switched to Linux one of the reasons that I chose SuSe was the 
> office 
> suite included an "Access like" database.  It will read and write .DBF files 
> 
> so it is compatable with dBase.  If you want to get really deep into 
> database 
> stuff you can install MySQL or Postgress and use ReKall at the front end.
> 
> I have hundreds perhaps thousands of hours invested in dBase and Clipper 
> code 
> but had to move on when my employer moved to Windows and OS/2.  I still 
> maintain a large database in DB2/2 on an old server running OS/2 Warp 
> Server.  
> There are still lots of business out there that run every day quite well on 
> dBase tracking inventory and even doing point of sale transactions.  Most 
> are 
> small mom and pop operations where the owner, or one of his kids, is the IT 
> department.
> 
> If you need to move away from the DOS platform and dBase I would seriously 
> consider Linux and MySQL.  If you write all of your own code for the front 
> end there can be somewhat of a learning curve but I think you will find it 
> worth while in the long run.  Good luck.

Robert Downs - Houston
<http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
<wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
<wa5cab at houston.rr.com> (Backup email)