Re: [Oracle Forms replacement] Replacementforms-discuss Digest, Vol 4, Issue 2

[Jorge Cabezudo Perez]

Interesting, it's a good analysis between different releases of Forms. I think the strongness of Forms is about its ability to add logic between standard CRUD phases and the Oracle Database Transaction system (how oracle lock records and tables). These features let applications reach the corporate/business level.

So, the key is to mimic this locking systems using different database trough a simple language like PL/SQL (procedural SQL).

A compiler of "Open-PLSQL" could create a native code for the heterogenous databases (free or commercial) so, programming  using Open/PLSQL would be as easy as current Oracle PL/SQL.

Open-PLSQL could be a good starting point.

On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 9:52 AM, <address@hidden> wrote:

Send Replacementforms-discuss mailing list submissions to
       address@hidden

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
       https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/replacementforms-discuss
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
       address@hidden

You can reach the person managing the list at
       address@hidden

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Replacementforms-discuss digest..."


Today's Topics:

  1. Re: Ways to start this project (Mihail Daskalov)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 13:20:47 +0000
From: Mihail Daskalov <address@hidden>
To: John_Nowlan <address@hidden>,
       "address@hidden"      <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [Oracle Forms replacement] Ways to start this project
Message-ID:
       <address@hidden>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi all!
Probably <quote>'Oracle Forms has the ability to use another database because of its transaction and database triggers replacement.'
</quote> refers to the old "Oracle Open Client Adapter for ODBC". You can see this topic https://forums.oracle.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=495283

Unfortunately it is no longer developed or supported (AFAIK).

Oracle Forms (actually Procedure builder component) included a Client implementation of the PLSQL language (yes PLSQL is not only Oracle Server language).

The lack of FREE client runtime is major problem with Oracle Forms and Oracle ADF. Once Oracle Forms Runtime Client/Server was free (no cost) for use. Then it was desupported and only Forms Server (iAS Enterprise Edition) was left. Then BC4J and JDeveloper emerged as some alternative, which was later named ADF Swing. It was still client server, but WAS NOT FREE. Now it is also being desupported (in JDeveloper 11.1.1.5 and 11.1.2), with only ADF JSF left, which is not client server.

The only commercial alternatives I know for Client/Server programs are Java with Swing and JDBC (possibly there are some frameworks that help a little), and Microsoft .NET with Windows Forms components, or eventually LINQ , Entity Framework and Silvelight (but at the MS sight things are quite fragile in my opinion also).

It would be good to have something on which to start building upon a Free toolkit for Client Server programs.

Regards,
Mihail Daskalov

[sig2]



Mihail Daskalov, Technology Manager
Software Development, TechnoLogica
Phone: +359 2 91 91 2 / ext. 430
Fax:    +359 2 8769215



From: replacementforms-discuss-bounces+mdaskalov=address@hidden [mailto:replacementforms-discuss-bounces+mdaskalov=address@hidden] On Behalf Of John_Nowlan
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:51 PM
To: address@hidden
Subject: [Possible SPAM] Re: [Oracle Forms replacement] Ways to start this project

'Oracle Forms has the ability to use another database because of its transaction and database triggers replacement.'

Could you elaborate on this bit? Examples?
I also think this project is the missing piece for many organizations to move from an Oracle + Forms environment to something like PostgreSQL, but where I am, the lock-in prevents many people (mgmnt) from considering it.



From: replacementforms-discuss-bounces+john_nowlan=address@hidden<mailto:replacementforms-discuss-bounces+john_nowlan=address@hidden> [mailto:replacementforms-discuss-bounces+john_nowlan=address@hidden] On Behalf Of Jorge Cabezudo Perez
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 11:56 AM
To: Justo Perez; address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [Oracle Forms replacement] Ways to start this project

It also could be called GNU Forms or something like that, using an open source database is a must, people that could be part of the project should assume an specific role, for example, arquitect, programmers, project leaders, dba, etc.

The tools we know exist in the commercial release are:
Forms Builder
Forms Compiler
Forms Runtime (now using an application server)
Forms Converter
Reports Builder
Reports Converter

The software was developed using C/C++ and then Java plus AWT/Swing. The advantage of using PL/SQL inside the Forms Builder is one of the powerful features to build programs faster.

I know that postgress use a similar language and there is a commercial implementation called Enterprise DB which serves like an Oracle replacement for non-critical implementations of Oracle.

The core or kernel of the Forms is a CRUD engine that only needs the name of the tables that the application use. If we can build a program with these feature, it could be a good start point. There is no need of a Builder, we can use ascii text file to implement the forms (or XML), one of the options would be the database, the connection (JDBC?) and so on.


On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 5:25 AM, Justo Perez <address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>> wrote:
I m very interesting in this project, and I think that is a good idea to make something like Oracle Forms but using a free DB like Postgres... something like Postgres Forms or like Mysql-forms, more flexible... and engine-form indepent from the DataBase.

What do you think about it ???





El 28 de febrero de 2012 07:33, Jorge Cabezudo Perez <address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>> escribi?:
Many people are still using Oracle Forms to build their tools because it's features to create forms fast and built-in buttons and options that every user normally use.
I think that people who want an alternative to Oracle Forms must follow a long-term project because the evolution of the Oracle Forms software. The current release is 11g, web-enabled and with webutil library to enable the web-forms access to web-client resources.
Advanced Oracle Forms programmers must give their knolwedge about this product to the best skilled programmers in java or another client-server language.
Forms has an API which can be a start to emulate their functionality. People can write the same functions with differents names.
Also we can use the XML format of the forms builder for reverse-engineer the format.
Oracle Forms has the ability to use another database because of its transaction and database triggers replacement.
Hope people give a chance to start this interesting project.

--
Jorge Cabezudo Perez
Oracle Certified Professional DBA
_______________________________________________
Replacementforms-discuss mailing list
address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/replacementforms-discuss



--
-------------------------
Justo Perez Agudin
-------------------------



--
Jorge Cabezudo Perez
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/replacementforms-discuss/attachments/20120301/85e5030f/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 29429 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/replacementforms-discuss/attachments/20120301/85e5030f/attachment.jpg>

------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Replacementforms-discuss mailing list
address@hidden
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/replacementforms-discuss


End of Replacementforms-discuss Digest, Vol 4, Issue 2
******************************************************

--
Jorge Cabezudo Perez
Consultor de Sistemas
Cel:988380780 JCP Software S.A.C.
Visita : http://www.jcpsoftware.net/