RunRev will win IF...

[Alan Gayne]

----------
From: Alan Gayne <agayne at yanoff.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 09:07:28 -0400
To: Jan Schenkel <janschenkel at yahoo.com>, <use-revolution at lists.runrev.com>
Cc: Bob <bob at rpcontrol.com>
Subject: Re: list field

on 8/16/02 7:06 AM, Jan Schenkel at janschenkel at yahoo.com wrote:

> --- Alan Gayne <agayne at yanoff.com> wrote:
>> [snip]
>> 
>> Jan - thanks for direction.  I'll check out those
>> sites on a regular basis
>> Over the years I've used Hypercard predominantly to
>> automate many aspects of
>> my business environment as a very sophisticated
>> "database" tool.  Yes, I DO
>> know HC was not really intended to be a true
>> database, but with a little
>> ingenuity and the Reports DataPro tools I've found
>> it to be far more useful
>> and flexible than traditional database competitors
>> such as Filemaker.
> 
> I couldn't agree more. HC proved to be the ideal tool
> for the database-type stacks I built for my dad, who
> wanted to flexibly save all the data he had gathered
> concerning the Belgian Railways.
> I remember someone from the museum of the belgian
> railways looking baffled at how things were so easily
> setup and programmed.
> 
>> However, since the end product of most business
>> management is typically
>> "paper", the promised reports generator is number
>> one on my wish list,
>> followed closely by an easy to use prefabricated
>> data transfer utility
>> (which will allow me to move large amounts of data
>> from my existing
>> Hypercard stacks to the new stacks I will create in
>> Revolution) and
>> similarly prefabricated search and index engines.
>> Anyone whose has made any.
>> significant use of Reports DataPro with Hypercard
>> will know exactly what I
>> mean.  
> 
> Trust me, it's number one on my wish-list as well. At
> work we have a number of FoxPro apps to convert to a
> new environment, and RunRev is at par with Java at
> this moment.
> RunRev is easier to program and will yield results
> faster. Java is available for more platforms. Neither
> has a report generator.
> RunRev will win if one is provided. If not, we'll have
> to write one ourselves, which is quite ridiculous if
> the RunRev team will distribute one of their own at a
> later point.
> However, as there is no way of knowing what their
> version will support, it might turn out we have to
> build it ourselves anyway, because we literally need
> _all_ the features the FoxPro Report Builder offered.
> 
>> A lot of this stuff doesn't mean much if your main
>> use of Hypercard and
>> Revolution is multimedia and the like, but if the
>> main use is for business,
>> these features are absolutely essential.  So my main
>> goal is to have all of
>> this stuff ready for the (inevitable?) day when you
>> will no longer be able
>> to buy a new Mac that will run OS 9 either as the
>> main operating system or
>> in the "Classic" mode.
> 
> For some projects, we do multimedia, but the bulk is
> business applications (accountancy, order processing,
> invoicing, inventory management, time registration,
> repair management, cash register apps,...)
> We're at a critical situation where FoxPro is grinding
> to a halt on some machines, and there's nothing we can
> do to fix the problems.
> We need a new environment, and as I stated above,
> RunRev is one of the favourites. So maybe I'll write
> that Report Generator after all, and try to sell it to
> the Edinburgh guys ;-)
> 
>> Thanks and regards,
>> ALAN
> 
> You're welcome,
> 
> Jan Schenkel.
> 
> "As we grow older, we grow both wiser and more foolish
> at the same time."  (De Rochefoucald)
> 
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Jan:

Thanks once again for your thoughtful comments on my observations.

With specific reference to the "reports generator" issue, I must admit that
I am at a loss why the people at RunRev have made a concerted effort to
reach an agreement with the current owner of Reports DataPro, who I believe
is Bob Greenberg at rpControl LLC.  This is EXACTLY what RunRev needs to
jump-start widespread usage of the Revolution environment.

I am well aware that Reports DataPro and its ancillary products were
primarily created as a group of XFCNs and XCMDs but the code warriors at
RunRev shouldn't have too much trouble in duplicating the beautifully
implemented features of this fully mature product, totally within the
Revolution environment - IF they can purchase a license to do so from
rpControl LLC.

This would seem to make perfect sense since Revolution NEEDS this and
rpControl LLC owns a product whose value is DECREASING EVERY DAY as the
functional life of Hypercard comes to an end.  Of course, making perfect
sense would not always seem to apply in such matters or we would already
have a Quicktime based, fully crossplatform version of Hypercard from Apple
and this discussion would not be necessary.

Nevertheless, just maybe our repeated vocalization of this issue and
solution may serve to "bang a few heads together" to achieve some clearer
thinking.  Along this line, in addition to responding to you "off list" I'm
posting this to the list AND sending a cc to Bob Greenberg
(bob at rpcontrol.com).

Hopefully,we'll be able to rattle a few cages.

Alan