xBase question
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I've been asked to rewrite a 16-bit xBase application (it was last copyrighted in 2003) such that it will run on (at least) Windows 7 32-bit. As I understand it, xBase is more than just a repository for the data; it's also a language of sorts. Is there some sort of silver bullet available that would convert the whole thing to something current, thus requiring no real rewrite?
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
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I've been asked to rewrite a 16-bit xBase application (it was last copyrighted in 2003) such that it will run on (at least) Windows 7 32-bit. As I understand it, xBase is more than just a repository for the data; it's also a language of sorts. Is there some sort of silver bullet available that would convert the whole thing to something current, thus requiring no real rewrite?
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
I suspect you're up the creek for any UI stuff - it was a quirky 80x25 text-based "forms" front end. If you're only concerned with the backend database, check out Codebase[^]. I've used it to drag an old dBase4 app (kicking and screaming) into Win32 land. No database migration required. Compile their library source with your 32bit weapon of choice and slip it in behind your business/UI layers. HTH Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
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I've been asked to rewrite a 16-bit xBase application (it was last copyrighted in 2003) such that it will run on (at least) Windows 7 32-bit. As I understand it, xBase is more than just a repository for the data; it's also a language of sorts. Is there some sort of silver bullet available that would convert the whole thing to something current, thus requiring no real rewrite?
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
AFAIK Peter is right, your UI is up for a rewrite and rightly so. Your database should be converted to something current and I am betting only the table structure will be transportable. You may need to fiddle with the drivers to get a valid connection, we had to use the FoxPro drivers on the last xbase app we moved.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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I suspect you're up the creek for any UI stuff - it was a quirky 80x25 text-based "forms" front end. If you're only concerned with the backend database, check out Codebase[^]. I've used it to drag an old dBase4 app (kicking and screaming) into Win32 land. No database migration required. Compile their library source with your 32bit weapon of choice and slip it in behind your business/UI layers. HTH Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
Peter_in_2780 wrote:
...it was a quirky 80x25 text-based "forms" front end.
Actually, the screen shots I have show it to have a Windows GUI. Maybe it's not xBase after all.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
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Peter_in_2780 wrote:
...it was a quirky 80x25 text-based "forms" front end.
Actually, the screen shots I have show it to have a Windows GUI. Maybe it's not xBase after all.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
It probably still is xBase. The dinosaur I slayed was written in dbIII+ in about 1988 and ran on DOS. Some of the later ones probably had a real GUI. Cheers, Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.