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A4V7 is it worth it?

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    #16
    RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

    Regardless of whether you use A4v7, A5v4, or A5v5, I think any of these programs would be best served with better documentation with explanations of how the program will behave in various situations and what to do when it misbehaves as it can often do.

    After market products such as books templates etc. would be nice also.

    Alex Levy
    Alex Levy
    Tampa, FL

    Comment


      #17
      RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

      Wow, You two really bring out the best of both alpha worlds. I however am firmly entrenched in A4. from the 3 to 7.0. I would like the folks at Alpha to keep finding ways to allow a4 to run on a windows platform, forget the gui.For the apps we write it is not needed. I have spent time with Approach,Acess, A5, and Fox A4 is still the best for me.The learning curve for Windows is too long, the programs too unstable. THANK YOU ALPHA

      Comment


        #18
        RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

        Wow, You two really bring out the best of both alpha worlds. I however am firmly entrenched in A4. from the 3 to 7.0. I would like the folks at Alpha to keep finding ways to allow a4 to run on a windows platform, forget the gui.For the apps we write it is not needed. I have spent time with Approach,Acess, A5, and Fox A4 is still the best for me.The learning curve for Windows is too long, the programs too unstable. THANK YOU ALPHA

        Comment


          #19
          RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

          Hi Robert

          I too have a soft spot for Alpha4 vr4 I have just put my purchase in to upgrade to version7 of A4.
          But we must be realistic!
          DOS is dead no matter how much we all would like to see A4 continue!
          That is why I have also purchased A5, but as stated the manual is the Bigest selling point for me.
          The tutroial manual that comes with A4 has to be one of the best manuls/tutroails that I have ever gotten with a pice of software.
          As a side note I have run A4v6 under OS/2, WINNTwrkstn, Win98, 95 and ME.
          And I even attempted to get it running under LINUX, which I'm sure with a little more time I would have gotten it to work.
          How many applications can you say can run like this?
          Anyway, I just hope Alpaha keeps lisitening to it's users and gives them what they want to see.

          Thanks
          Jeff

          Comment


            #20
            RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

            Hi Everyone.

            I think the people at Alpha are just waiting to see what happens with this version. I really think they are ready to move on a windows version depending how this version sells. Tell everyone you know to purchase a copy of A4V7 and let Alpha know we still want A4. If you companies/persons still using A4v3 are thinking of upgrading, now is the time.

            We can get a Windowz A4 if we support the product.

            What you say?

            RS

            Comment


              #21
              RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

              Rick,

              Are you saying that you think Alphasoftware may release another windows database product based on Alpha Four?

              Mike
              Thank you,
              Mike Konoff

              Comment


                #22
                RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                All I can say is if dos is dead, that's ok. but can't the programmers at Alpha use the windows kernal with out the gui. the base kernal used to be bsaed on dos is now a hybred between unix and dos, and it seems to be leaning more towards Nt. It is my belief that a simple interface like we have come to love in A4 could be used with the base kernal giving a program that is "windows" but looks and feels more like a4. I know those of you that have moved to A5 now like the windows enviro, but there are some of us who prefer that a database be a database and not a table, We eat on tables, we do not store our info there.Why learn a completely new way of doing the same thing,For me it would have to offer substantial improvements. It seems A5 is a clone of Access and not related to A4 at all. Please correct me if I am wrong, It wont be the first time.

                Comment


                  #23
                  RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                  Hi Mike and Robert.

                  Seemingly it is possible to have a windows based product and keep the field names and basic structure the same. It can be done. If we have enough people support A4, it would be "un-business like" not to make A4 into a windows product. You have to tell your friends and family to start supporting A4v7. If the interest is not there (people and companies supporting the product) there would be no reason for a company to entertain such a project.

                  I agree with you Robert. As you have probably already read from me. We all know that A4 is the best DBF out there. With a windoz based A4, we could e-mail from within the program, fax as well. The sky is the limit.

                  We simply have to show Mr Rabins that a windoz A4 is a viable business venture (which means supporting the product). It is not rocket science, just business 101.

                  Let's keep the talking about this going.

                  RS

                  Comment


                    #24
                    RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                    Guys:

                    Get Real! Jeffrey Rosmarin's right. Gates isn't going to support DOS applications with his OS's because Microsoft is NOT marketing, nor do they have any apparent interest in DOS products. Can't you all see that he can, and is indeed,
                    virtually eliminating support for DOS and FORCING the move to Windows Graphics environment.

                    I think Alpha is postured right where they need to be -- keeping A4 alive with Version 7 and concentrating on A5. Man, once you really get into A5 you may want to throw stones at A4 -[really small ones of course]. Can you see that Alpha is covering its bases - keep the existing clientele for as long as the market can last and provide the very best Windows-Based alternative for all their faithful.

                    'A4' type interface with GUI? I really believe that Alpha has made A5 as user-friendly as A4 considering the graphics environment. Making it EXACTLY like A4 would add so much program overhead no one would use it - it would simply be too slow!

                    Just some more thoughts

                    Ken

                    Comment


                      #25
                      RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                      Hi Ken,

                      Seemingly it can be done, and would not be slow. It would still have the pop that A4 does now (without the Graphic Interface). We are not talking a DOS product here. We are talking about a full Windoz OPS A4. The file names would be that same, that's all.

                      There is definitely room for a product there, and gates would have no say in it. This would work for all A4 users. Alpha would have to bring a team in and develop it. It can be done...I've been told it won't be slow...we need to support a4v7 to give them the revenue to do so.

                      RS

                      Comment


                        #26
                        RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                        Hi Rick and Ken,

                        Well if Mr. Gates is doing away with dos does that mean that all Exe's and com's will also be eliminated? I Don't think so. As windows removes more dos commands and builds them into the system, they are basically still there.As Alpha has made changes to accomadate XP, why is it not possible to continue changing as new os's come out.It's funny but with A6 we had to modify the a4.exe to stop granular crashes and printing problems.With A7 and XP those problems are gone, A7 seems to work much better with XP than A6 did with 98. To me this says YES WE CAN DO IT.Maybe Alpha should drop A5 and force all those buyers to Purchase A7 as they did to us A6 users. I purchased the A5's and they all sit on the shelf.They last few series was only because A6 was no longer supported.I found nothing in A5 that made me want to use it.I think Alpha could blow out Access with an A7 hybred but they better hurry cause Access is becomming a standard for new applications.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                          I just wanted to note that this has been one of the more interesting discussion threads I've followed. There are alot of good points being brought out here. Probably be good magazine material.


                          Alex Levy
                          Alex Levy
                          Tampa, FL

                          Comment


                            #28
                            RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                            Rick:

                            You're completely right about the 'POP' that Alpha 4 HAS and we miss in the A5 environment. No doubt about it, A4 POPS! A5 doesn't!

                            Here's what I think is happening in A4. You and I are manupulating an 'easy' interface with an underlying program, that is then compiling those instructions for DOS. We're writing to a program that writes to another program that manipulates dos. Three Steps - each one with its own overhead. Logic would suggest that we would need still another step for the Windows version of A7 and thus, a fourth step in the sequence. I.E. We would write to an interface with Gui which would then be manipulated by another program to source code, then again to another to be jerked over to DOS. then still another to compile.

                            This all might be the reasoning of a mad man [who doesn't really know anything about programming] but a few of us can remember back on slow machines, Alpha DID have trouble matching the speed of compiled programs. I always thought that was because it was two platforms off the actual compiled computer instructions. Logic might suggest that addng another platform now would slow processing - even in the faster machines.

                            More thoughts and it's kind of fun to hack all this out.

                            Ken

                            Comment


                              #29
                              RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                              Well boys!!!

                              Mr Rabins I think Robert Smith has said it all!!! I too bought A5 v1. Its collecting dust.....somewhere. I don't even know where it is anymore.

                              You have alot of people saying let's do it. You know there is a market out here for a full windows a4. It's all we have been asking for. Most of us do not need the GUI. We simply need "the best Database program ever produced....and that's A4".

                              Let's keep the dialog and support up guys. It is still a business. If the money and support are not there we will not get our A4 at the end of the rainbow.

                              RS

                              Comment


                                #30
                                RE: A4V7 is it worth it?

                                Hi Ken

                                I kow what you mean about Windoz. But machines are getting faster and faster all the time. Gee a few years ago I was running an office network on 200mgh machines. I have just recently upgraded to 1.4ghz machines....and they are rapidly being outdated. The point I am making is that, without the Gui, a Winoz a4 may be slow for a person on a 486... but on the new machines...it will fly just like it was in the dos environment.

                                Its all exciting isn't it?

                                RS

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