The LA Fox Developer

The LA Fox Developer Newsletter

Delphi (Con't from page 6)

engine that is used in dBase and it supports dBase and Paradox file formats. For Client-Server work, Delphi also includes a development version of the Interbase server. Either one is a big step up from the toy Access database included with VB.

Using dBase files is a little strange in Delphi. The indexes speak Xbase:

DTOS (dDueDate) +str (nCustNo)

but not Pascal. Delphi speaks Pascal, but not Xbase. (Why, yes, Dr. Frankenstein, those 2 left hands look good on your... son) To be fair, the same problem exists for any non Xbase tool that is using DBF files.

There is no Database container nor a data dictionary in Delphi, so file server applications (those using dBase or Paradox files) will not have triggers, stored procedures, and all the other goodies new to the database engine in Visual FoxPro.

FoxPro’s famous database speed is not bested by Delphi, but reports are that the BflE is competent, and often close to as fast as FoxPro.

Does Delphi’s compiled code translate into a speed advantage over Visual FoxPro? For data access work, no, FoxPro is still usually faster. The user interface in a Visual FoxPro app is not going to be as snappy as a Delphi app, but that is seldom a large concern.

Would I use Delphi over Visual FoxPro for re9ular database applications? Not likely, unless the application had a significant non-database requirements, or had to run well on an 8Mb machine.

Delphi would be a great choice for developing a ‘shrink wrap’ type application. Delphi will produce very sophisticated, fast running, relatively small Windows applications rapidly. Programs that require lots of custom user interface work would be a natural fit in Delphi.

Since Delphi and Visual FoxPro have different strengths, and both represent the best in their class, I’m keeping both of them in my toolbox.

Out and About (Con't from page 4)

Bill Phinizy, Chairman. Their goals are: 1) to provide a financially reasonable means for members and non- members to obtain a basic understanding of FoxPro and FoxPro programming; 2) to promote the OCFDG to the Southern California developer and business community; and 3) to earn money for the group. The committee will sponsor three levels of classes (beginning, intermediate, and advanced), to be taught in Orange County, on a member and corporate level. Members of LA Fox interested in becoming involved in this project should contact Barry R. Lee, (714) 968- 4225, CID# 72723,3422. More on this as it develops...

“Further Adventures of Mr. Bill”, Part 2. Has anyone out there been following the Wall Street Journal letters in which Bill Gates (Microsoft), Philippe Kahn (formerly of Borland), and Jim Manzi (Lotus Corp.) are holding open discussions with/about each other? Its made for an extremely interesting exchange of ideas regarding where each is coming from. Here are some of the more “quotable” points and exchanges:

Bill Gates “It is understandable that Mr. Manzi would prefer o measure performance in terms of competitcr criticism: Lotus has not fared well with customers under Mr. Manzi’s leadership. It was larger than Microsoft when Mr. Manzi became CEO, and today is less than one-fifth of Microsofts size... I still think my job is the best one in the world... Microsoft has taken large and expensive risks in leading the industry... .ln each case, most informed industry observers said we would fail. In fact, Mr. Manzi himself led the attack on Windows and decided early on that his company should not invest in developing a version of the company’s flagship product, Lotus 1-2-3, for Windows. Similarly, Mr. Manzi discounted the potential of the Macintosh and abandoned the few customers Lotus had there.. The marketplace soon showed that it was more powerful than any single company and Microsoft Excel filled the void Mr. Manzi created for an innovative Windows spreadsheet... Likewise, both Lotus and Microsoft will be displaced if we lose sight of the need to innovate...'Non-competitive practices’ are familiar allegations that are not truthful. (Manzi] thinks that by his merely repeating them, he is contributing to a constructive discussion.. .The PC marketplace is working for customers. Lets get on with innovation.”