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A5v4 vs. Access97

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    #16
    RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

    I believe that Codebase is the engine behind A5. The last time I checked, Codebase had a client-Server option as well as a myriad other products for the database community (www.Codebase.com).

    If I've ever seen a merger made in heaven, it has to be Codebase and Alpha Software whereby A5 would be a front end to fully functional Codebase engine. A very fast catchup to MS Sql and Access.

    But, hey, what'd I know?

    -Balto Cpa

    Comment


      #17
      RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

      steve

      you are right on the money here.

      it is our intention to implement the codebase client/server engine in a5 for a5 v5.5.

      it is not a trivial thing to do because the a5 parser is much, much more functional than the codebase parser. a5 has the ability to use UDFs in index expressions, for example.

      i think that a client server version of a5 will be a powerful addition to alpha five.

      Comment


        #18
        RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

        Selwyn,
        Wow, that's the hottest thing I've heard since the advent of Bullet Bourbon.

        -Steve

        Comment


          #19
          RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

          JoAnne

          Alpha Five is definitely lacking in support materials. No matter how powerful or good you think Alpha Five is (there are certainly folks on this list who will fanatically support it), you are basically on an island (this board - hey, it's good, but it's about all there is.) Look for a book, classes, jobs, other programmers, (try other users in your area too), etc. for Access and Alpha Five - Access wins hands down. The last time I looked, Access had over 40 newsgroups you can subscribe to (which gives you similar support as this board.)

          Oh, and yes, Dr. Wayne did write a nice programming guide for an EARLIER version of Alpha Five - it's good but it's the ONLY one out there. It's only about 175 page long - 17 or so of which are blank.

          Alpha Five is simply a non-player in the corporate world. People on this mention some that they program for big companies but company names are never mentioned and Alpha Software probably doesn't have a substantial list to share either.

          Alpha Four was a GREAT product. Alpha Five?.... it was too slow to make it into Windows world. Ok, well Alpha Software did give us WebFiler...

          Jim

          Comment


            #20
            RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

            Jim,

            While it is true there is alot of support for Access, that doesn't make it a good product to use. I'd argue that FileMaker Pro is much better than Access in support both from the company and their user base. But that is not the only issue.

            These are some of the the issues to consider;
            1. Time (and Cost) to develop an application (Alpha Does well here)
            2. Adaptability to future changes and new features (Alpha does well here)
            3. Ease of development or modifications (at least some of it) by non-programmers (since this is the area Alpha Excels -- sorry about the pun -- in) without constantly calling in consultants
            4. Cost of distributing the application (runtime, real copies etc)
            5. Technical Support from the company
            6. Technical Support from other users
            7. The number of 3rd party books available,
            8. The number of consultants available should you need it now or in the future
            9. The regular release of patches and new versions
            10. Is the product any good for your needs?

            There are more than this, but it's a start of the reasons to choose any platform. Of course everything must be weighed. You do not need local support anymore, due to phone, fax, high-speed internet, Instant Messaging (ICQ my favorite), PCAnywhere etc. Most of my clients I've never even seen (and could be on the moon for all I know!)

            As to a list of clients. This is typically difficult to list for a consultant unless the client allows you to use his name. I know in a few cases, my clients consider it a trade secret (in other words, an advantage) as to what platform they are using. Also, I'm not normally going to publically list my client base, to allow other consultants Access (oops, a pun again!) to my business (If a client goes searching, that's fine, but I'm not going to give them away either!).

            Anyway, that's my take.

            Regards,

            Ira J. Perlow
            Computer Systems Design & Associates
            [email protected]
            Regards,

            Ira J. Perlow
            Computer Systems Design


            CSDA A5 Products
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            Comment


              #21
              RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

              Well, Well, Well.

              I guess what I said at the start is true; "What a soapbox!". This wasn't meant as a negative but rather there would be a lot of varied responses.

              I do agree that the written support is lacking but hopefully that will change when version 5 is released. On the other hand, though you might say this board is similar to the 40+ Access boards, I certainly haven't seen any Access execs answering questions. While I admit I don't know who they are, I haven't seen anyone identify themselves as such. Course, I haven't been on all 40 boards. But then, they're not all that easy to find. I've spent plenty of time looking for the ones I've found, just got lucky I guess. My point is MS doesn't do a good job in steering the users to support. And, patches, MS asks, "Patches who?" "Wasn't there a song about that?" "Patches, what shall I do...."

              I've also not seen any personal attention from MS like you see on this board. Yes, I would like to see more and better manuals, etc., but there hasn't been an issue or anything I've ever wanted to do, when I didn't understand it, that didn't get answered here.

              I do use Access 97 at work so I bought VB6 thinking I'd learn coding. After I found out the antiquated way of creating fields (much less a form)well, I thought, perhaps a 3rd party book will shed some light on how to discover the ease of use. So, I bought three (3) 3rd party books (over $100). I only discovered ways to make a script to do this or to do that. It was no different or better than the A5 documentation.

              I agree whole heartedly with Ira, if the product isn't all that great, the books won't make it any better. If I had to, I'd trade all of the VB6 and Access books and manuals (yes I have those 3rd party books too)in a flash of a heart beat, in exchange for this board.

              Do I consider myself a diehard A5 user? Absolutely not. But, I've been to the "greener pasture" on the other side of the fence. I found out that, once I got past the MS hype, the grass had alot of brown and no water. At least, A5 has
              lots of water and I know that when a bug is found, Selwyn and crew seemingly drop what they're doing and get it fixed. I know, because I've experienced it.

              OK, so much for my 2 cents worth. The glories of Access and VB6 aren't so glorious after all, are they?

              Oh, almost forgot, this board IS much better than the Access boards. The ability to attach files doesn't exist in those boards AND you can't Access them from Access. (At least I haven't found a way not have I seen anyone do it)

              I'm eagerly looking toward the future in A5.

              kenn
              TYVM :) kenn

              Knowing what you can achieve will not become reality until you imagine and explore.

              Comment


                #22
                RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                I hope Selwyn's message is not wasted on anyone. A client-Server Edition of A5 will be a huge step forward in the evolution of A5; it will have to be on everyone's radar scope. No other Desktop DB will have it...Access is not upgrading, MS Sql is incorporating it as a front end. If you want to go that route, I strongly suggest you get certified in both NT and MS Sql and learn SQL enhanced level III.

                If you need to develope applications that can be scaled to larger clients (or like me, who balk at the 100's of hours of required application developement for more robust applications and worry) then a client-server environment within A5 is perfect. I'm not on AS's payroll, but this is the best news I've ever heard regarding both the future and the power of A5 as an application developement tool. A5's Xbasic remains the most intuitive, productive language in the DB community, bar none. Kudos to Selwyn Rabins for taking this step.

                Comment


                  #23
                  RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                  Hello again Geoff!

                  >> Hope this addresses all your questions, and remember, it's only an opinion... ):

                  I'm just geting started playing with Visual FoxPro and A5.
                  Is it just my imagination or does A5 require MUCH less coding than VFP?

                  TIA,
                  O.J.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                    WOW!

                    Comment


                      #25
                      RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                      Hi Jim!

                      Jim Rowlen wrote:
                      -------------------------------
                      I'm sticking with A5. After my Linux system is set up I'm not sure what I'll be using there (don't feel like learning - or paying for - DB2 or the other rather costly databases available on Linux).
                      -------------------------------

                      Unfortunately, the only database similar to A5 that I've found for Linux is Paradox as part of the WordPerfect Office 2000 Deluxe Suite for Linux. And the Suite is reasonably priced. However, there are some problems.

                      First is that A5er's generally don't like Paradox :).
                      The second is that the Developer's Edition of Paradox with the unlimited runtime is planned but has yet to be released for Linux. And finally, Corel is having some serious financial difficulties which puts the release of the runtime (and service packs) into question.

                      Hopefully, A5v5's popularity will take off, allowing Alpha the resources to port A5v5 to Linux.

                      O.J.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                        I have a copy of Oracle for Linux coming, so if A5 doesn't get there I'll just learn it (eventually).

                        Since Win9x will run on top of Linux a number of other interesting possibilities exist for code development. The trick would be to see how to link a Win9x database to a Linux server, if it can be done concurrently on the same system. Mainly just to play around with. Just glad I have an old system to play around with that on (in case of meltdown).

                        For web stuff I'm planning to A5 and Cold Fusion. If the Linux /Win9x/A5 thing works I'll set it up on the new system up as a multi-boot and dedicate a 20 G to it for playing around in more depth.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                          Hi Jim!

                          Jim Rowlen wrote:
                          -------------------------------
                          I have a copy of Oracle for Linux coming
                          -------------------------------

                          Oracle -now that's serious :) !

                          Have you looked at the free trial of Magic 8.3 for Linux at
                          http://www.magicsoftware.com ?

                          I looked at their DOS version many years ago (and decided that A4 was much easier and more productive for the company I was with at the time) and happened to stumble across their web site recently.

                          O.J.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                            Just visited their site. While I'm not superstitious, I'm taking knocking over a Diet Coke into my keyboard a few minutes into their site as a warning.

                            One reason I've got Oracle (NT, Linux) and Oracle Designer (NT) coming is to expand my job market skills. Don't want to chance becoming like one of the many area government contractors who use a piece of software with minimal employment possibilities on the "outside." While A5 is nice, try finding a listing on using monster.com (or any of the others) as a job seeker or employer looking for employees with A5 skills. While this could change eventually there's no sence taking a chance "just in case." While I'll be learning Cold Fusion and linking A5 databases, Oracle seems like the next stage (both Oracle career paths). While Magic appears worth looking in to, these others definitely currently provide avenues for career moves.

                            Besides, I've already paid for them.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                              Hi Jim!

                              Jim Rowlen wrote:
                              -------------------------------
                              ... to expand my job market skills.
                              .. Cold Fusion and Oracle seems like the next stage (both career paths)... provide avenues for career moves.
                              -------------------------------

                              For better or worse, you're correct.

                              Here in the Pittsburgh, PA area, there's stong demand for both Oracle and Cold Fusion developers.

                              O.J.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                RE: A5v4 vs. Access97

                                JoAnn,

                                May be I could add my grain of salt...

                                Six months ago I did not know anythink about A5, I bought Access and started learning it but I gave up. I bought A5 and started the learning curve. Now I am at the point to launch a complete application linked to our company accounting system,lists , quotation system, customer contact, follow-up system, etc, on a Network.

                                I did it on spare time only,a few hours here and there, and even if the program is available only in english language, my application will run in french.

                                But, and there is a big BUT.....without this board I guess I would have quit.

                                When you get on this board, you feel like being among friends trying to help everyones.

                                For now I am still on the reception side.

                                Best luck

                                JP

                                Comment

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