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NEW Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

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    #16
    Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

    Hello everyone.
    This is a great offer and when you look at the email ad it says
    <quote>
    For decades Alpha Five has been a leader in letting you build great desktop database applications, and we've attracted many of our customers from other tools like MS Access and Filemaker - because we have enormous power - without a steep learning curve.
    </quote>
    The price is at MS Access level and well below Filemaker. But MS Access offers free unlimited Runtime license for the cost of the program. If AlphaFive does the same I sure there will be more migration from those programs and I am sure there will be plenty of stand alone programs sold everywhere by the developers. That will be a great ad for Alpha. More people all be aware and would buy the product.
    I am sure Alpha may not go for it.

    Thanks for reading
    Gandhi
    thanks for reading

    gandhi

    version 11 3381 - 4096
    mysql backend
    http://www.alphawebprogramming.blogspot.com
    [email protected]
    Skype:[email protected]
    1 914 924 5171

    Comment


      #17
      Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

      Originally posted by GGandhi View Post
      Hello everyone.
      This is a great offer and when you look at the email ad it says
      <quote>
      For decades Alpha Five has been a leader in letting you build great desktop database applications, and we've attracted many of our customers from other tools like MS Access and Filemaker - because we have enormous power - without a steep learning curve.
      </quote>
      The price is at MS Access level and well below Filemaker. But MS Access offers free unlimited Runtime license for the cost of the program. If AlphaFive does the same I sure there will be more migration from those programs and I am sure there will be plenty of stand alone programs sold everywhere by the developers. That will be a great ad for Alpha. More people all be aware and would buy the product.
      I am sure Alpha may not go for it.

      Thanks for reading
      Gandhi
      In defense of Alpha, access is a less capable product which is harder to use....
      Robert T. ~ "I enjoy manipulating data... just not my data."
      It's all about the "framework." (I suppose an "a5-induced" hard drive crash is now in order?)
      RELOADED: My current posting activity here merely represents a "Momentary Lapse Of Reason."

      Comment


        #18
        Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

        Of course Mr. Tupper,
        But, in one of your recent posts, you said that you have spent about $2000.00 and nothing to show and finally you are getting somewhere with AlphaFive. Is that you or someone else?
        I searched by your name but can not locate it instantly. But I will. In the meantime, I am only suggesting exposure of the product not the caliber of it. Any product no matter how great it is, need to be exposed, more importantly appropriately. Is that's the reason, people spend millions tomorrow night? Did you see the email ad? A company this caliber with a product this good can not and should not advertise with "INTO" price for desktop.(they corrected that with runtime) That does not speak well. Many people see it and what they might think, regardless of the caliber of the product. You know this is a great product (despite not making any money using it and finally getting somewhere) and I know it( I am a hobbyist- not a pro programmer). Appearance matters, sophistication matters. I never said the MS Access is superior than Alpha.(I won't dare). I am only suggesting don't charge for Runtime(personal interest - above all).
        They won't go for it.

        Thanks for reading.
        Gandhi
        Last edited by GGandhi; 02-04-2012, 06:11 PM. Reason: added "with AlphaFive"
        thanks for reading

        gandhi

        version 11 3381 - 4096
        mysql backend
        http://www.alphawebprogramming.blogspot.com
        [email protected]
        Skype:[email protected]
        1 914 924 5171

        Comment


          #19
          Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

          Just wanted to comment on Teds comments

          "I'm sure that Richard an Selwyn have looked at an "exit" route."

          This is not something we are looking for at all!

          As many of you know we took on our fist investor Joe Alsop a little over a year ago with the goal of growing the company in a steady and solid manner. The future of Alpha is very bright with the advent of HTML5 and mobile computing and the our ability to move into the rapidly evolving space of business applications that can built for desktop and mobile devices with one universal tool .
          Richard Rabins
          Co Chairman
          Alpha Software

          Comment


            #20
            Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

            Well you gotta admit that the price is much better!
            Robin

            Discernment is not needed in things that differ, but in those things that appear to be the same. - Miles Sanford

            Comment


              #21
              Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

              Originally posted by GGandhi View Post
              .....But, in one of your recent posts, you said that you have spent about $2000.00 and nothing to show and finally you are getting somewhere with AlphaFive. Is that you or someone else?

              .....I am only suggesting don't charge for Runtime(personal interest - above all).....
              Hello Gandhi;

              To answer your question, yes that was me who has spent the 2K over the past years, since ~1995. (It averages about $100/year including the large $1,000 investment I made in the subscription last year.) It's what I knew would drive me (and provide me with the training materials & class videos, which were of HUGE VALUE) to finally reach my long term goal of become proficient. I've wanted to do this for years, but simply did not have the time. (This isn't Alpha's fault, it was a timing issue.)

              As for the free runtime from MS, it's been so long since I walked away from Access. ~ Access was "the original plan", but I walked away from it (for good) due to it's built-in limitations. I don't want to imagine what kind of a pain it would be to try and do the things I can in Alpha 5!

              Don't forget that the only reason you need a runtime is to sell an application. (In which case, Alpha 5 is no longer being used for "personal interest.") ~ The a5 program itself has the runtime built right in and is included in the entry level product. (A runtime is merely a5 without development capabilities.)

              Obviously, the MS business model (in general) is quite a bit different from the Alpha model, but remember this: MS is charging every user on every computer a fee to use their OS. (No matter what, you bought an OS, because it's "built into the price" of every new computer sold.) Alpha doesn't have this luxury of passing the buck directly to the consumer like this. And without positive cash flow, you don't have a product.

              This being said, the only people who must actually purchase anything from Alpha are the people writing the apps, not the users. And with Alpha, even the "hobbyist" is presently getting a ton of "bang for the buck" given the a5 products' inherent capabilities! (I wouldn't have said this prior to Alpha re-introducing a sub $200 product.)

              It goes without saying that Alpha doesn't begin to have the same depth of resources that MS does. Yet on their budget, they have been able to deliver a "sky is the limit" application (version after version, albeit a little buggy at times)* that does desktop aps, does web, soon will do smartphones and tablets. It works fairly seamless with SQL, mySQL, Access, .dbf, not to mention several other "large players." (And Alpha has always made their product quicker, more capable, and easier to use than an competing product I know of.)

              When comparing between Access and Alpha's a5 v9, v10, or v11... From both a capability and "ease of use" standpoint, Alpha (IMHO) is worth at least 2x to 3x price of MS Access any day of the week! And if I go out and decide to begin developing apps commercially (which I intend to) I'd be happy to support the company by purchasing unlimited runtimes. Why? Because nothing is really free, and they've saved me time and increased my productivity. ~ They leverage my own abilities.... And I have to support the company that empowers me to help make this all possible.

              PS: Before you call me an Alpha "Fan Boy" you should know that I'm an entrepreneur, I don't generally have much good to say about "Corporate America" and my whole life (being an entrepreneur) I've felt right at home "going against the grain." (And you've probably also seen some heated posts where I have criticized the product and the decision makers at Alpha.) My motivation and involvement in all of this is, and always has been to ultimately end up with a better & cleaner product for everyone to use. Regardless of all this, I must confess that there is something "almost magical" about Alpha 5. I don't know exactly what it is, but it is there....... And somewhere beneath all the a5 internal code, lies an absolute Genius! ~ Maybe that's the "magic!"

              As for your comment on "exposure" you have a very valid point! More exposure would certainly be welcomed by most. (It's just not feasible when they're not generating income from each "computer-end-user", as MS does with their OS.)

              *I've always been a "bug magnet" anyways.
              Last edited by SNusa; 02-05-2012, 03:10 AM.
              Robert T. ~ "I enjoy manipulating data... just not my data."
              It's all about the "framework." (I suppose an "a5-induced" hard drive crash is now in order?)
              RELOADED: My current posting activity here merely represents a "Momentary Lapse Of Reason."

              Comment


                #22
                Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                Richard,

                Will this package be available in the UK>

                Gil Smith
                Gil Smith

                Comment


                  #23
                  Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                  Re Exit Route.

                  Originally posted by Richard Rabins View Post
                  This is not something we are looking for at all!
                  That's really good to know Richard. Having followed Alpha for many years - close on 20 now - if the operation did get passed to other hands it would not be nearly as good in the future as the passion seems to get diluted following a change of ownership.

                  I wasn't aware that you had another investor Richard - must have missed the announcement - and I hope that the partnership works well for you both.
                  See our Hybrid Option here;
                  https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


                  Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
                  You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                    Gill, go direct Brett Johnson at Alph in the US.
                    See our Hybrid Option here;
                    https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


                    Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
                    You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                      <quote>
                      Don't forget that the only reason you need a runtime is to sell an application. (In which case, Alpha 5 is no longer being used for "personal interest.") ~ The a5 program itself has the runtime built right in and is included in the entry level product. (A runtime is merely a5 without development capabilities.)
                      </quote>
                      I am just not well informed, I guess. I am under the impression runtime can also be used in networked situation for your personal use, in addition to be able to sell you products commercially to those without alpha five in their machine. You probably know the answer. As it stands to day, at least with version 10.5 I have the program can be used as stand alone in ONE computer and since I have unlimited WAS I can access the data from everywhere. If the runtime was available free of cost( since addition of WAS had a price) I was under the impression that I can have multiuser situation locally at the network level and reach the data from anywhere internet is available. Guess I am wrong there.

                      <quote>
                      This being said, the only people who must actually purchase anything from Alpha are the people writing the apps, not the users.
                      </quote>
                      Recently a post in this board stated "You are not offering anything for me - I just need to use your program to track of few things myself, I am not a programmer" - that was not from me. I am sure alpha would like money coming from anybody at least I know I wouldn't mind. Many more people like that buy the product and many more people like you produce affordable standalone application then what will happen. More money to both you and the parent - alpha in this case, more exposure to everyone. With more money they can actually produce a good working user or help manual or wiki. Because of that more people will be on alpha side.
                      Also, I like to point to you many of the users produce wonderful products and they realize they can actually market it since it is so useful and fills the void there is and go on to become successful entrepreneurs.

                      As far as product and its capacity, you and I are on the same page. No quarrels there.

                      Thanks for reading.

                      Gandhi
                      thanks for reading

                      gandhi

                      version 11 3381 - 4096
                      mysql backend
                      http://www.alphawebprogramming.blogspot.com
                      [email protected]
                      Skype:[email protected]
                      1 914 924 5171

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                        Hi Ted,

                        I tried to buy it as a download but a message appeared saying that I had to but it from the UK distributors. However I cannot see this package on their website.

                        I do not want to cause a problem for Alpha,

                        Gil
                        Gil Smith

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                          yes Gil -- it will be
                          Richard Rabins
                          Co Chairman
                          Alpha Software

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Re: New! Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                            After finding out about the new sub $200 offer, the OP of the "You are not offering anything for me thread" both acknowledged and thanked Alpha for offering "exactly what he needed." (I had updated that post with the new offering from Alpha, to make him aware of it. He's a "happy camper" now!)

                            If you need network capability (for desktop apps) you would have to either purchase an unlimited runtime, or purchase a copy of a5 for each computer on the network that was using the app. I don't think $139 x 2 is bad for full network support which includes the scaling capabilities of mySQL, or MS SQL back ends. (just to name a few) If you're needing mult-user capabilities, you're outside the realm of being a casual user / hobbyist. (IMHO)

                            Besides, (IMHO again), comparing Access to Alpha 5 is kind of like comparing a KIA/Hyundai automobile to a BMW driving machine. The KIA is inexpensive but basic. The BMW is all about user experience, and also could be considered somewhat "eccentric."* ~ FYI: I don't own either.

                            From what I know/knew, Access has never really been designed to scale up to the way Alpha will from the "get-go." ~ (Unlike Access, Alpha 5 is very "capable" product, even in even a corporate environment. (at a fraction of the overall price) To "scale up Access" you very quickly run into some very expensive solutions , as far as I know.) ~ Not so much with Alpha!

                            *My analogy refers to a5 as being "eccentric", because the underlying architecture of Alpha is X-basic. (something that does not fall within the conventions of a normal MS environment) ~ Maybe in my analogy, I should have referred to a5 as being more like like a "Toyota 3G Prius Hybrid" with an after-market supercharger under the hood.....

                            ONE OTHER HUGE THING WORTH MENTIONING: With an MS product, if you run into a problem / bug.... Have you ever tried to contact the company (MS) and get resolution? I have, it's like getting sucked into a black hole! (Which in my experience is totally opposite from the way in which Alpha handles things.) ~ To me, this translates into value!

                            PS: Years back, the runtimes sold by a5 were not setup like this. It was expensive, as they had tiers. (and thus the did limit the ability to produce "re-distributable" software) That limitation has been removed with the new licensing model, introduced several years ago. (the unlimited runtime which developers had presumably been asking for)


                            Ghandi: For your quotes to work in this forum, enclose them in [] (brackets), not <> (tags).
                            Last edited by SNusa; 02-05-2012, 12:44 PM.
                            Robert T. ~ "I enjoy manipulating data... just not my data."
                            It's all about the "framework." (I suppose an "a5-induced" hard drive crash is now in order?)
                            RELOADED: My current posting activity here merely represents a "Momentary Lapse Of Reason."

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Re: NEW Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                              I purchased and downloaded the desktop edition with the unlimited runtime.

                              When installed, there's an AlphaFive v11 folder in my Windows start menu. It contains a shortcut to start AlphaFive V11 and a shortcut for AlphaFive V11 Help.

                              Clicking the shortcut for AlphaFive V11 Help results in a windows "Problem with Shortcut" message window opening to tell me that the AlphaFiveHelp.chm file has been changed or moved.

                              A search of my system turns up no AlphaFiveHelp.chm file anywhere.

                              Is there supposed to be a local help file installed?

                              Also, is there a general manual for AlphaFive available as a pdf file or something other than the extra cost items listed for sale? It used to be that manuals were part of the purchase price.

                              Thank you.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Re: NEW Alpha Five v11 Desktop Edition for developing desktop apps

                                Originally posted by pmfrench View Post
                                I purchased and downloaded the desktop edition with the unlimited runtime.

                                When installed, there's an AlphaFive v11 folder in my Windows start menu. It contains a shortcut to start AlphaFive V11 and a shortcut for AlphaFive V11 Help.

                                Clicking the shortcut for AlphaFive V11 Help results in a windows "Problem with Shortcut" message window opening to tell me that the AlphaFiveHelp.chm file has been changed or moved.

                                A search of my system turns up no AlphaFiveHelp.chm file anywhere.

                                Is there supposed to be a local help file installed?

                                Also, is there a general manual for AlphaFive available as a pdf file or something other than the extra cost items listed for sale? It used to be that manuals were part of the purchase price.

                                Thank you.
                                I believe that v10.5 was the last version shipped with a .chm file. (And that .chm was an old one for v.9) ~ I't all up to the wiki now....
                                (Plus video courses, seminars, sample and tutorial databases, and a5 instructional videos.)

                                I miss the .chm files, and still use my old one as reference before heading for online wiki help. (The wiki is getting better though.)
                                Robert T. ~ "I enjoy manipulating data... just not my data."
                                It's all about the "framework." (I suppose an "a5-induced" hard drive crash is now in order?)
                                RELOADED: My current posting activity here merely represents a "Momentary Lapse Of Reason."

                                Comment

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