Subject Re: Client with Dbase IV what to do
From Russ <rfisher@ccnintl.com>
Date Thu, 14 Oct 2021 09:25:07 -0400
Newsgroups dbase.getting-started

Andy Taylor Wrote:
> Ok, it's a pain to setup but it only needs to be done once.  You've fixed the bug yourself, instead of having to remember it or risk being tripped up again and again.
> This ability, of course, is absent in dBASE IV.  However, your original point is still valid, because you can't fix ALL bugs that way.

Andy,

That's true, and we've always had to find workarounds for things - it's just the nature of coding.  But bugs that have been bugs for several generations of versions are unacceptable.  Modern systems are complex enough without having to try and determine whether a problem you're having is caused by your code, a bug in the language or the most recent Windows update.  In my heyday, I could write Clipper code in my sleep (and often did).  It just worked.  If there was a problem, you were 99.99% sure it was in your code.  If you needed a workaround for something, it was because the function you needed didn't do what you wanted - NOT because it didn't do it the way it was documented.

I purchased dBase 2010 for half price during a black Friday sale (along with Ken's books) and was automatically upgraded to 2011 because it came out soon after.  I struggled with it for quite a while as I've already detailed, and then put it aside.  When 2019 came out, I "upgraded" during a 25% off sale, so it "only" cost me $300 instead of $400.  Most of the bugs documented in Ken's original books and tutorial were still there, along with many new ones.  Since then, dBase has had progressively higher and higher discounts and quite frankly, I question the viability of their business.  They appear to be in serious need of cash and I'm not sure how long they will be around to "support" a buggy product.  As it is, I've shelved 2019 and write most anything new in Harbour.  Integrating with our existing dBase IV tables is tricky only in that Harbour doesn't support MDX indexes, (and that's one thing I have to work around) but other than that, it's fast and it works.

Climbing back off my soapbox...   :)

Cheers,

Russ