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Alpha 12

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    Alpha 12

    I know better than to inform about any new Alpha version to be honest, but since I am picking up my Alpha programming I need to update the platform I use to the most recent one. Now that would obviously be v11. However, I just received an e-mail from Alpha regarding the "Customer Only" webinar, where is spoken about:

    "We have anticipated this dramatic change and the upcoming version of Alpha Five has been engineered for this new mobile era."

    So, there is an "upcoming version" and the words "has been engineered" in my opinion says it is about to be launched.
    However, I have not yet received any offerings that would guarantee the purchase price of v11 against v12.

    Is there any information amongst you (which you are free to release) about the new version ? Would this be v12?

    #2
    Re: Alpha 12

    Hi Marcel,

    I was just thinking about you the other day and wondered if you were still using Alpha, and here you are again. Welcome back.

    The next release of Alpha we have been told, will not be V12, but is going to be called "Alpha Anywhere". This is in production and was demonstrated in the recent webinar.

    The best deal you can get is the 24 Month Subscription. You will need to contact Alpha to know what this includes regarding the new version.
    Regards
    Keith Hubert
    Alpha Guild Member
    London.
    KHDB Management Systems
    Skype = keith.hubert


    For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Alpha 12

      Yeah, but we were all promised much of this if we purchased v11 which never came true. Very disappointed in Alpha's Sales Promises!!!

      Terry

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Alpha 12

        Hey Keith, well yeah, old soldiers.....

        @ Terry: Well, I can say I have a pretty extensive experience with the Alpha Sales team and never ever have found them to fail in any promises they made. Maybe there was some misunderstanding involved, they can get pretty busy. If you look at where they came from with the early versions and what they have on the shelf right now I would have a hard time finding myself disappointed especially if you look at the small operation footprint they are on. It's pretty amazing even.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Alpha 12

          To me there's no such thing as versions. Versions are a legacy thing. Just step into the subscription & become Alphaholic.
          Frank

          Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Alpha 12

            At this point, the subscription offers a lot of overkill to what I need so that is out of the question. Remains the question, whether the investment in v11 at this point in time is already guaranteed against the upcoming "Alpha Anywhere". Maybe somebody of Alpha Customer Service can respond on that, or maybe inform at which point in time these will be the case?

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Alpha 12

              At this point, the subscription offers a lot of overkill to what I need so that is out of the question
              For me too! Since the beginning of the subscription, I have paid NO money to Alpha. I have gone other directions for the web due to the costs involved with alpha. My desktop to date is alpha(and I like that part), but am afraid that will also soon change(due to costs and some other factors).

              Many of my customers are beginning to want the web type look and feel. That may take me in another direction.

              Make no mistake that PHP, mysql, html, html5, xhtml, javascript and css are not easy to learn and keep straight, but seem to be more and more necessary. My ongoing large project consists mainly of this.

              If I am sucessful in learning what I need, then why do I need alpha? I need it for the quick small to medium desktop database app ONLY! High prices will absolutely kill that need.
              Dave Mason
              [email protected]
              Skype is dave.mason46

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Alpha 12

                Hi Dave. With regards to your remark that one would only need Alpha for the quick small to medium desktop database: I have developed and maintained extremely large database desktop-applications with Alpha, which involved millions of records and hundreds of users. I have come to appreciate the speed of development it can deliver. I think with regards to THAT it is second to none. However, it lacks on group developer administration tools and it does not offer automated synchronisation between development, test and production environments, hence to incorporate a quality driven development and release planning system that is time and cost effective as well is almost impossible. Furthermore, there is what YOU want, and there is what the CUSTOMER wants. Especially in the market of larger business applications Alpha does bring its dependence on Alpha Software inc. and not all customers are happy with that. Most of the time I have experienced they want full .NET backing on those applications. Needless to say that the learning curve on such tools is much steeper and the development takes a lot more time. Sometimes to factors you would not even believe. Things that you can realize with Alpha within the hour can take a week in .NET But development time is not the only issue. More things are at stake in high risk applications for middle to large companies.

                The subscription might work for large Alpha Customers, but for me personally (as a single developer at this point in time) it simply offers too much, and I would not consider it wise to pay for things you are not going to need. Hence, I will go for the single developer license, and add what is needed. This gives you cost transparency which is easy to pass on to the customer in the end.

                Alpha has always been targeted at the SOHO user, I doubt that they can land the multinational customer or even the middle to large company customer more than incidentally. Although much has been done already towards this market, given .NET compatibility, and the integration of full SQL in your database.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Alpha 12

                  With regards to your remark that one would only need Alpha for the quick small to medium desktop database
                  I must have mis-spoken. I meant for the small to medium Company/customer.

                  I too have very large scale applications that have been sold and are being used daily. These are fine for a small/medium/larger corporation.

                  I am now looking at a very large and diverse corporarion wanting a their companies(very similar busines) to use one database. Alpha can handle that with the WAS, but they really are not interested in that. What I to give them is a linux server that will be able to interacthey want it. There will be no need for windows handlers. Cell phone/ desktop/laptop or whatever.

                  Most of the above is already partly done and I have some time to get it done.

                  The big one could get up to 3000 hits a minute! Alpha cannot handle this at all on any level.
                  Dave Mason
                  [email protected]
                  Skype is dave.mason46

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Alpha 12

                    Hi Marcel,

                    I see your English is vastly improved since we last met.
                    However, it lacks on group developer administration tools and it does not offer automated synchronisation between development, test and production environments,
                    I agree with you that Alpha lacks these built in tools but that does not mean you cant manage "a quality driven development and release planning system that is time and cost effective as well is almost impossible". I disagree with you on that point. This is being done all the time by different developers on projects around the world. With a good management control system in place, collaboration of development work, can be done with Alpha.

                    With care and consideration of those you are working with, everything is possible.
                    Regards
                    Keith Hubert
                    Alpha Guild Member
                    London.
                    KHDB Management Systems
                    Skype = keith.hubert


                    For your day-to-day Needs, you Need an Alpha Database!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Alpha 12

                      Keith,

                      Sadly I don't think my English has improved any.

                      That something strictly speaking CAN be done (with some creativity and motivation) does of course not say such a function is methodically embedded in compliance with certification demands and operational as a controlled environment. Larger corporations do nowadays not only demand that "things work" but that they work in an objectively controlled way with methodically minimized risks and split responsibility as a result of certification demands such as SAS70 etc etc.
                      Hence, systems ought to be designed to fulfill that functions, rather than just being able to be bend in a way it is possible to fulfill the functions.

                      And some things even with some bending are not possible. When you work with a group of developers there are no options for "booking in and out" modules that are under design. Alpha works in an object focussed way: you either work on a form, a table, a block of code, a report. Not on a logically grouped function containing forms, tables etc etc. Objects get blocked once opened. You can't work with 2 developers on one table or one form. There are several issues here, that do not make Alpha Five the ideal tool for larger companies who work with development groups. You need to organize very strictly and always just one developer on one object. I have done that for many years with a group of developers in my department. And although some things CAN be done, you WILL encounter problems with your certification agency in a number of situations. For instance: it is quite normal nowadays, that a developer can develop, but can not lift the solution to production himself. Because there is testing and split responsibility. So normally, someone else lifts to production environment in a planned agenda release system. In Alpha, developers having access to the control panel can do anything and the system itself does not restrict what a developer can or cannot do.

                      That does not take away anything from Alpha however. It is just a tool, designed for certain conditions and there it has proven worthy many times over. Like any tool however, it has its boundaries. And although in many situations you ARE able to bend it just so that you still can use that tool, you WILL experience situations where it proves not possible, either because of the fact it simple does not work, or because of the fact controlling institutions do not certify it.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Alpha 12

                        In most environments i have worked where we had several programmers on a single project:

                        We worked with variables on a form instead of table fields. While one could be working on the tables and/or variable manipulation, another could be working on the form, form flow and the beautification of the forms. In other words, everything on the form was a variable, so one was in charge of that. Another programmer may be working on the reports that again only had variables.

                        All the planning ws done prior to work beginning. Any changes in variables/fields/layouts/flow was done by committee. All of this can be done in alpha if it is set up properly in the initial planning stage.
                        Dave Mason
                        [email protected]
                        Skype is dave.mason46

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Alpha 12

                          Hi Guys,

                          I missed the webinar. Can anyone inform if v12 will support desktop & mobile in a way that the app shows full layout in a desktop/web enviroment but switches to panels on a mobile platform?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Alpha 12

                            Originally posted by mronck View Post
                            That does not take away anything from Alpha however. It is just a tool, designed for certain conditions and there it has proven worthy many times over. Like any tool however, it has its boundaries. And although in many situations you ARE able to bend it just so that you still can use that tool, you WILL experience situations where it proves not possible, either because of the fact it simple does not work, or because of the fact controlling institutions do not certify it.
                            This is nice sentence. If you replace word Alpha with any car name or with any software or with any equipment or with anything the sentence just works. Nice!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Alpha 12

                              Slam,

                              Register for the webinae tomorrow it will have a Q&A: alphafivewebinaronmobile.blogspot.com v12 does work with panels but I don't know about it switching automatically if it detects a mobile device.
                              Frank

                              Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand

                              Comment

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