Mark, As a software business who has used a 4GL since 1985 to develop our software, I have never seen a 4GL that will generate an entire application. The BOM explosion shopfloor scheduling programs in our mfg. software are written Pick Basic, as are the translation programs in our EDI translator.
Most of our data entry/update/review screens use Pick Basic subroutines after one or more entry fields and in the filing subroutine. The benefits of 4GL's are not that they never require the use of Pick Basic, but that they enable the development of software applications in a fraction of the time needed for writing applications entirely in Pick Basic, and that they improve the reliability of those applications by the use of standardized coding practices built into the 4GL. Add to any 4GL the capability of generating html-screens simultaneously with character-based screens, as se have, and you can reduce the time to develop browser-based software from months and years to hours and days. We face the same problem that you face when we are asked by a customer to support someone else's software that is written in a 4GL that we've never seen and that is totally undocumented, and we hate learning another 4GL just as much as you do. 4GL's are written by programmers to make their job easier and to enable them to be more productive. They are of greatest value to the businesses using their software supported either by in-house staff or a long-term software business. There is no doubt that the language most commonly used in Pick Basic and the 4GL's present a learning curve at first. Hopefully, by learning your customer's 4GL, you can assist them in preserving their software investment rather that just rolling in another application pkg. that may be easier for you to support. I understand that Fred has offered to assist you and he will do an excellent job for you. Best wishes, Dave Dave Taylor Sysmark Information Systems, Inc. 49 Aspen Way Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 800-SYSMARK (800-797-6275) (O) 310-544-1974 (F) 310-377-3550 www.sysmarkinfo.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 4:57 AM Subject: Re: [U2] Another 4GL > Thanks. I was afraid of being stepped on. > Hopefully it's not to hard to get going. My new client has a long list of > needed changes. > > On another note, do programmers ever hit a wall with the functionality of > program generators/4GL's such that they still spend a good amount of time > writing straight code. Being a 100% straight code person, ie too many 4GL's > to get good at, I tend to lean towards this solution as all of my other > clients who have (had) code generators don't have the tools anymore and I'm > enhancing finished code. > > thanks. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 11:01 PM > Subject: Re: [U2] Another 4GL > > > > In a message dated 5/5/2004 8:52:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > > > Thus, any clues on where I could find more about the development > tools. > > > > ScanNet is on the internet but only for their newer GUI developer > stuff. > > > The > > > > Programmer's Helper looks like generated code as opposed > > > to parameter > > > driven > > > > stuff. > > > > > > > > Thanks in advance. > > > > > > > > Mark Johnson > > > > Yes Mark, The Programmer's Helper generates code based on parameters. You > can add code sections, but only if you use their tool to do it. Otherwise > your changes are step on by the next programmer who does use their tool. > > Will Johnson > > ------- > > u2-users mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.u2ug.org/listinfo/u2-users > ------- > u2-users mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.u2ug.org/listinfo/u2-users ------- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.u2ug.org/listinfo/u2-users
