Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!mmm!ntmtka!ed
From: ed@ntmtka.UUCP (Ed Tripet)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Informix 4GL
Message-ID: <1317@ntmtka.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jun 88 18:43:56 GMT
References: <3028@cognos.UUCP>
Reply-To: ed@ntmtka.UUCP (Ed Tripet)
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc., Minnetonka,MN
Lines: 32
Posted: Wed Jun  1 13:43:56 1988

In article <3028@cognos.UUCP> erics@cognos.UUCP (Eric Schurr) writes:
>
>Is anyone using Informix 4GL?  I most interested in VAX users, but
>any user is of interest to me.  I understand it generates C code--does
>this work well?
>

Informix 4GL will first generate Informix-ESQL/C code and then generate C code.

The code that is generated works very well, BUT the amount of code it generates
is very discouraging.

The advantage of using Informix-4GL is that you can create a flashy application
in a relatively short amount of time.  The language is very easy to use 
(somewhat like BASIC) and easy to understand what the original programmer was
trying to do (somewhat like COBOL).

The disadvantage of using Informix-4GL is the amount of code it generates.  A
program that prints "Hello Sailor" will generate an executable file that is 
close to 100K.  However, the file does not continue to grow at this rate.  I
have a directory program that is about 150-300 lines and one form screen that
is about 150K.

We mainly use Informix-ESQL/C for our applications and use Informix-SQL for any
"back door" access to our databases.  We do find that Informix-4GL is nice for
creating restrictive data entry applications as long as memory usage is kept at
a minimum (i.e. arrays).

Ed Tripet
Northern Telecom
Minnetonka, MN
DISCLAIMER: All these opinions are MINE and nobody else's.