The LA Fox Developer Newsletter

April 1994

LA Fox President’s Column (con’t from p.2)

between Microsoft and Sybase, the inventors of

SQL Server.

If the database server evolution splits in two direc-

tions, I happen to think that the Microsoft branch

would be stronger, in spite of the much heralded

features of the recently released Sybase System

10. Microsoft will be focused on a single operating

system - Windows NT, their own operating system

- where they can take full advantage of the OS

strengths in integrating the database server, as

they have already done in the current version of

SQL Server for NT. A Microsoft SQL Server will

have the advantage of Microsoft technology in the

interface area with things like Object Manager,

Remote Access Service, remote administration,

and Rapid Application Development tools, and can

add things like Replication Service at the OS level,

and can already run nicely on Risc platforms with

SMP. 1 don’t think the current emphasis on SQL

Server will jeopardize the FoxPro world - they are

both excellent tools for their appropriate domains,

which overlap to some degree but which are

largely separate domains. SQL Server is aimed at

mission critical solutions in corporate environ-

ments, where security, data integrity and central-

ized administration are much more important

requirements, and where hardware platforms,

networks, development staffs and budgets are all

much bigger and more expensive than in the

FoxPro world.

Chris Capossela gave a short but tantalizing

demonstration of FoxPro 3. It is much too early in

the development cycle to be complete or specific in

such a demonstration, but he showed enough

evidence to make me believe the plan we have

been hearing from Microsoft since the last FoxPro

Devcon. There was evidence of Visual Basic

constructs like property windows and event han-

dling, and things like user defined classes. I think

he said a Windows NT version - but maybe I’m just

wishing. I think we are witnessing the convergence

that Dave Fulton described, where we end up with

an integrated set of software components contain-

ing a common set of design and development tools

and with developers choice of programming lan-

guages - Basic, C++, or FoxPro - and choice of

database engines - SQL Server, Access Jet

Engine, or FoxPro.

Announcements

The International Database Interchange is a multi-day,

multi-track conference put on by the “Advisor” maga-

zine publishers, which covers FoxPro, Access, and

Visual Basic. The agenda is similar to a Developer

Conference, with technical sessions at several levels

presented by top level consultants and trainers. The

conference will be held in Palm Desert on April 24

through 27. Brochures are available at the user meet-

ing, or you can get information and register at 800

438-6720.

MicroMega Systems is sponsoring a one day seminar

on April 29 for advanced developers on building

FoxPro screens and menus using GenScmX and

GenMenuX. The speaker is Steven Black. The price is

not bad but you have to buy a plane ticket to San

Francisco. You can register at (415) 346-5757.

Microsoft is hosting a one day technical briefing called

a Windows Strategy Seminar featuring Chicago (the

forthcoming version of Windows), OLE 2, and the Win

32 API. This is not a sales pitch, it is aimed at applica-

tion developers. Locally it will be given in Orange

County at the DisneyLand Hotel on May 6. Call (800)

677-6979 to register. The price is $125.

The FoxPro Users Conference will be held again this

year in Minneapolis from Sunday June 19 through

June 21. This conference has become an annual

event that features many of the same speakers and

topics as the official FoxPro Developer Conference,

including George Goley, Lisa Slater, Alan Gnver, Dick

Bard, Randy Brown, Bob Grommes, David Kalman,

John Hawkins, Alan Schwartz, Mohsen Moazami, and

our own star of stage, screen and radio (mostly

screen) - Ken Levy. It is a two day conference com-

plete with trade show, third party vendor presentations,

and strong support from Microsoft. If you want to hear

from the best in the FoxPro world, this is a good place

to do it. I will have brochures at the user meeting, and

you can register at (800) - 486 - 8028.

If you want classroom training, The Information

Management Group offers a series of multi-day

FoxPro courses focused on the Power Tools , which

will be held in Los Angeles in May and July. I have a

brochure with course descriptions and dates. You can

register at (800) 922-2019. They also offer two Ad-

vanced FoxPro development courses but you have to

go to Chicago (the city in Illinois) for those.

(Con’t, page 8)

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