PowerBasic 3.5 / Btrieve for DOS 6.15 Programmers

[OTTO WIPFEL]

Hi Folks !

Long time absent, like it seems are many other DOSSERS !

My client, after my Demise , may be in need of a PB-DOS 3.5
Programmer who is also a capable BTRIEVE for DOS 6.15 Programmer.

Anybody out there younger than my 74 to fit that description ?
U.K. preferred.

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[Gary Stout]

Otto,

What type of program? Is it just one or many? And are they dead set
on keeping btrieve? I maintained some support for a program written
by another company which used btrieve, and we had quite a few
problems with data corruption and occassional errors.

Thanks,

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Gary Stout
[email protected]

[OTTO WIPFEL]

Gary,

It is a hugely complex set of over 50 programmes EXECUTING to each other
on DOS 6.22 Workstations, used for Pawnbroking, Check Cashing and Jewellery
Retail on local Branch NOVELL 4.2 5-User LANS, linking to my Computer via
PcAnywhere Analogue Modems as well as others at Headoffices for periodical
DOWNLOADing of Accounts and Retail Data.

My System is said to be "STATE OF THE ART, written for a specific client with
47 Branches all over the U.K., having been looked at by other Pawnbroking
Multiples all over the world who may still appreciate the functionality and
efficiency of DOS Programs on secure NOVELL Lans rather than Bloatware WINDOWS
Software and insecure Servers !

BTRIEVE is the "State of the Art" as far as Database Management is concened,
now being marketed under PERVASIVE SQL, etc. !

It needs programmers who are capable of 1000% Accuracy in all they do with
BTRIEVE, else what you are reporting will be the consequence !


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[Stavros A Petridis]

Mr.Otto you are so right!
Windows servers will NEVER be as good as Novell was 10 years ago.
It is too bad that Novell missed the marketing train
As far as Btrieve my company is using it since 1985.Never let us down.
We have a system for the apparel market,and with Btrieve (Pervasive these days)
we can have DOS programs (runing in DosBox) as well Win32 programs accessing the same
database at the same time.How many databases out there can do that ?!

Happy Xmas

Stavros


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[Tom Hanlin]

Marketing is the least of Novell's problems. They spent an entire
year without fixing a bug in their network software that prevented
record-level locking from working, causing severe data corruption
to innumerable clients. It's a marvel they're still in business.


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Tom Hanlin
PowerBASIC Staff

[Mike Luther]

Yes, Tom ..

indeed.

That year was a VERY difficult time for me with shared files and
so on. It is one reason why I leaned so heavily on OS/2 for what
was needed, and .. upon which, after Btrieve finally got all the
stuff fixed with 6.15 as revised, I've never lost a single item with it.

I also want to pay a very much earned deep thank you for the folks
over in Austin at Btrieve, now Pervasive. They *REALLY* were first
class with what was brought to them, after what I think the real
problem was. If you recall, Novell and Btrieve were a lot closer to
each other early on in the game. After the dance partners began to
twirl away from each other .. to my view, that is when Linda and crew
really began to solidify their product and things got much better.

But then Austin is only about 80 miles from here. Personal visits
and kind thinking and words really do help if you can.

But up until that time ... on Netware, as opposed to OS/2, life was
sorta hectic, I assure you.

We use 6.15 extensively here and very heavily. But using it with
an application is, in my experience, an issue where you must absolutely
know not only the interface, but all the real details in the networked
application and how that application really works as to the business as
well as the Btrieve interface.

Otto is right to start looking for a person to support the application
on into the future. If my 110 program and library core module suite
that is involved heavily with it, is any indication, while VERY stable
and reliable with the full clean code, this is not a second-class take
care of me if and when you get around to it deal.

And again, it takes a person knowleable or willing to become knowledgeable
in the business for which the tool is intended. And that gained, the cost
of the service, together with moving it forward for what has to be the
future has to be willing paid by the users, too.

Changes are coming solidly for the future. Novell, per what I hear from
the wings over here in Aggieland at College Station, is doing much to move
toward the future. Pervasive (Btrieve) is VERY much alive, and solidly
working toward the future. OS/2 is *VERY* much alive and well, despite yet
another round of fresh, "The wicked witch is dead!", just last week. As
officially now from IBM, "Indefinitely!", was quickly spoken to correct
the roar of, "Oh dear?", the small market but important market stuff is
still there .. if hardware, and drivers exist for the operating system
involved are available.

Plus, for embedded and special systems like Otto has, PowerBASIC is a
very valuable tool, and will continue to be valuable tool for the future.

I still recall McCormick's answer to the HAL-PC group in Houston when
he was asked from the floor, "Well, what code do you like, then Sir?"

Cherished answer ... "Old code that works!"

So Otto's issue is real, valuable to all concerned, including the
qualified person who is the right one to move into his arena. I'm
too old and too tied up in the same scenario that Otto is in. But
there has to be somewhere in this group, someone, for whom this could
well be a very worthwhile opportunity.




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Mike Luther
[email protected]