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Post by geoffb17 on Jan 29, 2023 1:17:10 GMT 1
Hello,
I'm looking after a substantial DOS system for a Wholesale Warehouse. The system is DOS, and uses the Sequiter CodeBase (C7) system, and is bases arounf dBase files with Fox CDX compound indexes. The software is linked using Blinker, and uses a number of Overlays. Presently running using W-XP workstations and a Windows network.
The system has some largeish files, a main transaction log file can get up to 100Mb.
The customer is getting worried about their need to be using XP computers, and would like to move to later (and obtainable) machines. Use of vDOS could be a massive help? The current software includes a numbor of personal enhancements either due to special requirements of the users, or systems developed specially by myself.
I've been looking at the HMG system, but my system does a number of important things that don't seem to be possible within HMG, so vDOS could allow new life to the existing code.
Geoff Barnard. Guisborough, England
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Post by Jos on Jan 29, 2023 10:26:46 GMT 1
I never heard of Sequiter CodeBase.
You would have to try if the program runs in vDos. Complicating factor could be later adjustments as it ran in Windows XP.
To the extend the program doesn’t actually run in plain DOS anymore, but requires NTVDM. For instance NTVDM shares the window with CMD, and the program shells out to CMD. Not DOS command.com. Or that it relies on some Windows DLL.
Jos
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Post by geoffb17 on Jan 29, 2023 15:07:10 GMT 1
Hello,
Thanks for your comments.
CodeBase was a fairly specialised system back then, as an alternative to later versions of Clipper. Provided a pretty full rang of dBase/Clipper commands using standard C, and it performed very well. In due course Sequiter, the Canadian company behind the system, dropped out of the market (they still exist, but nothing to do with software) and the final version (6.4, whereas I'm still using 5.0) became 'open source' via GitHub.
I liked the system, used it a lot, incl a number of commercial customers, but one only is still active. They however still very much like the system (my software) as it does a lot for them, the problem is finding machines that it will run on.
Yes, I will download vDOS and check it out. The bulk of the software should be OK, it's just a standard DOS system.
There are a number of possible awkward bits though, that might cause problems. Everything is OK under XP. Prob there will be 'workarounds' for anything that does give trouble. May just need to take care of these one-by-one?
My prog is run direct from an icon on the XP desktop, the prog comes up in a window, they press Alt+RETURN for Full Screen. Not sure if this would work under W10?
Geoff
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Post by geoffb17 on Jan 29, 2023 16:03:21 GMT 1
So far, so ??
Interesting.
Firstly, the demo download would NOT run on my main PC. I guess that's not surprising? My main PC is an XP desktop, and there's little point is running vDOS under XP, although it would help for testing purposes.
Anyway, tried again on the W10 laptop, and that works fine. Looks great. Oh, the Alt+ENTER key works perfectly. Tick off one point.
Within the demo, I note that the just created vDOS directory becomes C:\. A look in the .PDF suggests that I can 'load/mount' other dirs on the machine, I need to try that. I assume that the only way to get other things into the vDIR directory is to exit vDOC and use full WinDoze to copy things into c:\vDos, then re-enter vDos. I think I've seen similar things in DOSBox?
Need to try a few things - hopefully I can try one of my CodeBase progs, see what that does. I've got one INDEXCDX, which rebuilds a .CDX index file, thet'll be a useful test if I use a BIG file.
Looks very good so far!
Geoff
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Post by emendelson on Jan 29, 2023 16:12:01 GMT 1
Please read the documentation. You can edit autoexec.txt to use any existing folder on your actual disk as drive C: in vDos, like this:
use C: C:\any\folder\you want
You don't have to copy anything into any other folder. Simply use the folder where the files already exist.
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Post by geoffb17 on Jan 29, 2023 17:45:29 GMT 1
Hmm? I DO need to copy. Testing on W10 laptop, no DOS progs here as they don't work (sob, sob). So I MUST copy them from XP machine, where they DO work!
On W10 machine, with vDOS, they DO work, which is great improvement. My CodeBase prog works fine, although tested one fairly small, no overlays, so I need to set up main prog, and enough dbf/cdx so it will do something incl switch overlays.
Yes, read docs, seen refs to 'use' command, no problem, but cannot 'use' directory on another computer (no network chez moi). Must use 'slipper-net'!
Geoff
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Post by emendelson on Jan 29, 2023 17:59:50 GMT 1
Of course. I didn't realize that the files were not on the machine where you were testing.
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Post by jamesb52 on May 3, 2023 7:28:04 GMT 1
I never heard of Sequiter CodeBase. Jos We used CodeBase C libraries for years, developing and implementing a large testing system. It was very reliable and well-supported dBase4/Clipper foundation for developing DOS & Linux enterprise applications. We used Code Base on Linux, compiled with the Gnu C compiler, and it made for a solid foundation. Then we retired and started doing smaller projects. I still have CodeBase 6, CodeScreen, and other useful components on the bookshelf (on 3.5" floppies!) - just in case anyone was ever interested! And a quick search of my bookshelf turned up CodeBase manuals. With CodeBase 6 we were able to build internet-ready dBase/Clipper type applications on Linux using the GCC compiler. GCC is still widely available and used for C and C++ projects. CodeBase DOS apps on vDos? Nicer to live with than SQL applications! Why not!
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