🚀 go-pugleaf

What is the future of DECforms?

1. The product is described as separating form from function so that the 
application is independant of the user interface. This clearly works on
VT-style terminals, but then FMS and TDMS also do this on VT-style terminals.
Does DECforms extend this concept to a Motif, MS-Windows, OS/2 and Macintosh
interfaces?  I haven't seen any reference to this possibility being 
available or likely. It seems to me that DECforms would be too little,
too late unless it included windowing interfaces now or very soon.

2. DECforms is an implementation of the Forms Interface Management Standard.
- Is this standard finalised yet or still evolving?  
- Is it being adopted by other vendors?  Who?
- Does it fit into other "Open" plans?

3. Is DEC converting their own products to use DECforms? (esp. All-In-1)
I know Datatrieve V6.0 now supports DECforms in addition to FMS/TDMS.

I've been developing applications under VMS for over 6 years now, and have
used pure escape sequences, Foreign terminal definitions, SMG and FMS
as terminal control mechanisms. Each of these are very system specific.
I'm looking for a stable interface which can allow code to be used on
other systems. Is DECforms an answer or another variant of FMS?

I'm also wanting some choice in the application language. I'm currently
working with Pascal, Basic, Fortran, Datatrieve, All-In-1 and DCL for
various historic reasons. Using a 4GL which runs on many platforms is
an answer for new applications, but the current investment in existing
applications must also be supported. Can DECforms help?

Any crystal ball answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Keith Wallace
Sanitarium Research Laboratories
Cooranbong NSW Australia
outafrl@brolga.newcastle.edu.au