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In article <597@stech.UUCP> sysop@stech.UUCP (Jan Harrington) writes:
>in article <sWf240y00Wg=QN1FJb@andrew.cmu.edu>, rh1m+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rudi Jay Halbright) says:
>> 
>> I'm looking for a powerful, programmable, relational Database system for the
>> Mac.  It should be comparable to Dbase III+ on the IBM PC in terms of
>> flexability and power.
>>  Double Helix II and 4th Dimension look like good options, but FoxBase+/Mac is
>> tempting as it
>> offers compatibility with Dbase on the PC.  The completed database will be
>> distributed (for free) to the
>> Psychology community so it is important that whatever we use can be used
>> without the database
>> system.
>> 
>
>You've asked some major questions here. What you appear to be looking for is
>a "run-time" version. Foxbase+/Mac, Double Helix II, and 4th Dimension all
>have run-time versions (i.e., they allow applications to be run w/o the
>full DBMS). Any of these three are powerful enough to do virtually whatever
>you need.

True. However, for $300 you can make unlimited copies of the FoxBase runtime
for commercial distribution. All the others except Helix charge by the copy,
so you will be paying a large amount to distribute the code you have already
written.

Also, you should know that in most areas, Helix and 4D don't have anything
near the speed and power of dBase III+ (or its uglyness, either). Of course
there are a few exceptions for each product. FoxBase, on the other hand, is
faster and more powerful by far than dBase III+, and it does NOT sacrifice the
Mac user interface (again, with some well-defined exceptions).

>4th Dimension and Foxbase+/Mac sell individual copies of their run-time
>version. To get the DH II run-time version, you become a DH II developer.
>You get unlimited run-time distribution rights for the first three months;
>then you pay a license fee. (The developer status also gets you other 
>benefits.) If you need many, many copies of the run-time version, the DH II
>licensing may be more cost effective. If you need only a few copies, look
>at the other two, since they price theirs by the copy.

It's not more cost-effective than FoxBase's policy (one-time $300 charge).

>As for other issues, DH II is object oriented (programming through icons, not
>a language); 4D is powerful but complex; Foxbase is dBase compatible. It all

Foxbase's dBase compatibility is probably its least-important benefit for
most people... 4D looks much more powerful than it is, and it's slow as
molasses. I would never use it for projects involving datasets of more than
1000 records, even on a Mac II. Helix is a really unique product with some
exciting technology, but it's in the same speed range as 4D and it's NOT
programmable. It can do some things that normally require programming, but it's
generally not capable of handling situations that require procedural code. It's
very good for database work that doesn't need programming and doesn't need high
performance. If you need dBase III+ level programming, it's not even close.

> [suggestion to buy the demo versions]

Excellent idea.

>Jan Harrington, sysop
>Scholastech Telecommunications
>UUCP: ihnp4!husc6!amcad!stech!sysop or allegra!stech!sysop
>BITNET: JHARRY@BENTLEY


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