Flexible desktop addition
MITCHELL Kertzman, chairman and CEO of American software company PowerSoft, believes that through his company's new desktop addition to its PowerBuilder range, every desktop user of a database in a company can become a software developer.
Mr Kertzman, in Hong Kong last week for the Asian launch of PowerBuilder Desktop, said: ''Our aim is to see everyone become a developer, through the simplicity and ease of use which is found with PowerBuilder Desktop.'' The PowerBuilder range of award-winning client-server development tools features the Enterprise Series for professional programmers, and PowerMaker and PowerViewer for end users. However, PowerBuilder Desktop is aimed largely at database users, allowing them to alter and modify the structure of a database to suit personal requirements.
Based on PowerBuilder 3.0a, the desktop version is compatible with most commercially available databases and comes with a standalone version of Watcom SQL relational database, which uses the ODBC connectivity standard to connect to other desktop databases. It is also fully scalable for use in a client-server environment.
Mr Kertzman said: ''PowerBuilder Desktop gives PC and X-base developers full client-server capabilities at a desktop price, allowing access to traditional standalone and networked databases, as well as a true client server database - namely, Watcom SQL.
''With PowerBuilder's ability to scale up according to organisational needs, there are no limits in application functionality, database size or location, or choice of database management systems.'' Using many of the same features of the Enterprise Series, such as encapsulation, polymorphism and object/ class libraries, the desktop version allows developers to define database tables, columns and indices through the database painter.
While validation rules, display formats and data definitions are readily available through a case sensitive built-in dictionary.
PowerBuilder Desktop was launched last week throughout Asia, and is targeted at a potential one million new desktop developers appearing annually. It is available from today, through PowerSoft Hong Kong.
