POWERSOFT ANNOUNCES NEW WINDOWS VERSIONS OF POWERBUILDER 4.0; Scalable Development Environment Boosts Productivity, Performance with Broad Range of New Features for Corporate, Departmental and Desktop Developers.CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 7, 1994--Powersoft Corporation today announced release 4.0 of its award-winning PowerBuilder for Windows client/server products. The worldwide announcements include new versions of PowerBuilder Enterprise for Windows, PowerBuilder Team/ODBC for Windows, PowerBuilder Desktop for Windows and the new PowerBuilder Advanced Developer Toolkit. These products will be available by the end of December as part of the Powersoft Enterprise Series 4.0. Release 4.0 of PowerBuilder Enterprise for Windows features full support for both 16- and 32- bit Windows environments on Intel platforms including Windows 3.1, Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. and Win OS/2. It includes additional features for team development of high-performance applications including an enhanced interface to leading source management technologies, improved native connectivity for Oracle, Sybase and Informix and an integrated C++ Class Builder based on Powersoft's Watcom C/C C/C Center to Center C/C Combustion Chamber C/C Command/Control C/C Crew Chief C/C cabin cruiser (US DoD) C/C chief complaint (medical) C/C Channel-to-Channel C/C Communication and Collaboration ++ compiler. It also now includes the ability to integrate Lotus Notes Messaging and groupware software from IBM Lotus that was introduced in 1989 for OS/2 and later expanded to Windows, Mac, Unix, NetWare, AS/400 and S/390. Notes provides e-mail, document sharing, workflow, group discussions and calendaring and scheduling. databases in PowerBuilder applications as a standard feature and Powersoft's new personal data access and information management tool, InfoMaker for Windows. Sandy Darnell, tools support analyst at Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances,with annual sales of approximately $18 billion, more than 73,000 employees, and more than 70 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. , said her organization was looking forward to using PowerBuilder Enterprise on Windows NT. "During our beta testing (programming) beta testing - Testing a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it available to selected users. This term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the I've been really impressed with its increased performance, especially in the speed of PowerScript language execution. I also like being able to work on both 16-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows with one version of PowerBuilder Enterprise." All versions of PowerBuilder announced today are based on Powersoft's advanced object, compiler and database technology and share significant enhancements in the areas of developer productivity, performance, object orientation, data access and reporting. The integrated Watcom SQL A relational DBMS for DOS, Windows, NetWare and OS/2 developed by Watcom International Corporation, Waterloo, Ontario. Watcom SQL evolved into Sybase SQL Anywhere when it was acquired by Powersoft and then Sybase. 4.0 standalone database features the addition of stored procedures and triggers. Powersoft provides a comprehensive set of automated technical support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services including the innovative Powersoft InfoBase CD with each copy of PowerBuilder. Other PowerBuilder products announced today include: PowerBuilder Team/ODBC for Windows, a Windows 3.1 version of PowerBuilder, that provides team development capabilities and server database connectivity through ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) A database programming interface from Microsoft that provides a common language for Windows applications to access databases on a network. . PowerBuilder Desktop for Windows is designed to meet the needs of individual developers building single-user Windows applications with Watcom SQL and desktop databases. The Advanced Developer Toolkit, a new add-on product for PowerBuilder Desktop, that includes a library of reusable objects, advanced utilities including an image editor and an install disk builder as well as support for database stored procedures, NetWare services and pen computing See gesture recognition and tablet PC. . This new toolkit is included as a standard feature of PowerBuilder Enterprise and PowerBuilder Team/ODBC. "This release demonstrates our continuing commitment to provide scalable versions of PowerBuilder based on Powersoft's common technology for all classes of professional developers," said Tom Herring, vice president of worldwide marketing at Powersoft. "With the Desktop, Team/ODBC and Enterprise versions of PowerBuilder and a robust set of companion products and services, Powersoft provides the range of functionality and support required by client/server developers at affordable prices." Developer Productivity A range of features have been added to all versions of PowerBuilder to enhance developer productivity including PowerTips (timed microtext containing the name and function of toolbar A row or column of on-screen buttons used to activate functions in the application. Many toolbars are customizable, letting you add and delete buttons as required. Toolbars may be fixed in position or may float, which means they can be dragged to a more convenient location in the icons) which are provided in both PowerBuilder and in deployed applications. Other features include a new PowerPanel for direct access to painters and global options, improved dialogs and keyboard control, Undo/Redo, clipboard and Windows metafile The native vector graphics file format in Windows. Windows Metafiles also can hold bitmaps and text. The original 16-bit format uses the .WMF file extension. The subsequent 32-bit format, which supports more sophisticated graphics functions, generates .EMF (Enhanced MetaFile) files. (.WMF (filename extension) wmf - The filename extension for a Windows Metafile. ) support. A quick application generator Software that generates application programs from descriptions of the problem rather than by traditional programming. It is at a higher level and easier to use than a high-level programming language such as C/C++ or COBOL. and enhanced set of on-line code examples assist in rapid prototyping Building a part one layer at a time using a method of additive fabrication such as 3D printing. Such parts are used for concept modeling to determine if the product design meets the customer's expectations. and development. A library of complete PowerBuilder sample applications is also included as learning aids, including a Personal Information Manager and a Personal Financial Record Keeper. Each product includes a complete documentation set in electronic book format with advanced text search and retrieval capabilities to improve access to information during development. Performance By leveraging the recognized compiler expertise and technology of Powersoft's Watcom subsidiary, the performance of PowerBuilder and deployed applications has been significantly improved in several important areas, including expression evaluation, sorts and object creation. The new version of PowerBuilder doubles the speed of script execution over version 3.0. Native database connectivity in PowerBuilder Enterprise is improved through the use of bind variables and cache statements. Object Orientation and OLE 2.0 PowerBuilder supports the definition of classes in the User Object Painter. In addition, PowerBuilder Enterprise developers can define, compile and debug To correct a problem in hardware or software. Debugging software means locating the errors in the source code (the program logic). Debugging hardware means finding errors in the circuit design (logical circuits) or in the physical interconnections of the circuits. an integrated C++ class with the new C++ Class Builder. User Objects can be OLE containers for linked or embedded controls, including OLE enabled applications such as Microsoft Word A full-featured word processing program for Windows and the Macintosh from Microsoft. Included in the Microsoft application suite, it is a sophisticated program with rudimentary desktop publishing capabilities that has become the most widely used word processing application on the market. . New language functions allow OLE 2.0 automation. Application menus can be merged with those of activated OLE servers. PowerBuilder reports can be saved as files that can be used as OLE 2.0 servers and can be linked or embedded in an OLE enabled application like Microsoft Mail. Enterprise Database Connectivity Native database connectivity in PowerBuilder Enterprise now supports Oracle 7 stored procedures including non-result set stored procedures and overloaded procedures. Oracle performance has been improved through support for bind variables, fetched arrays and deferred parsing See parse. parsing - parser . Sybase SQL Server Sybase SQL Server - Adaptive Server Enterprise System 10 CTLib capabilities are now supported in addition to DBLib. Enhanced support for Informix versions 4, 5 and 6 includes support for table synonyms and bind variables. Data Access and Reporting Powersoft's new data migration and replication utility, the Data Pipeline, allows developers to access and transfer data from one location to another even if the data is in different database formats. Data Pipeline definitions can be saved as objects and opened and executed in an application. This new programmatic capability complements native database replication, enabling the design of a new class of distributed solutions, such as branch office and mobile applications. Support for complex queries and report design is enhanced. The new Quick Select allows multiple tables to be easily included in a query. Developers can now define composite and nested reports. Computed fields and retrieval arguments can be referenced. Report formatting and printing enhancements include the ability to define newspaper style reports, support for sliding columns and automatic reformatting. An enhanced dialog allows full control over report printing. Configuration Management and Application Deployment An enhanced interface has been provided for PowerBuilder Enterprise and Team/ODBC developers to leading source management facilities such as Intersolv's PVCS A popular system of version control and configuration management software from Serena Software, Inc., San Mateo, CA, that runs on DOS, Windows, OS/2 and various Unix platforms. It is widely used on PC-based LANs. . New releases and multiple applications are now supported. Version labels and descriptions can be assigned. The source archive is automatically deleted if the registration is cleared. Application deployment is simplified by a new Project Painter which allows developers to maintain an inventory of components to be included in an executable. A new Windows Install Disk Builder is provided as part of the Advanced Developer Toolkit that allows the developer to archive PowerBuilder applications on a setup disk to simplify distribution and installation. Pricing and Availability PowerBuilder Enterprise for Windows, PowerBuilder Team/ODBC for Windows and PowerBuilder Desktop for Windows will be available by the end of December. The products are shipped on CD with a complete set of electronic documentation and the Powersoft InfoBase CD. PowerBuilder Enterprise for Windows suggested list price is $3,295. PowerBuilder Team/ODBC is priced at $2,295. PowerBuilder Desktop for Windows is priced at $695. The Advanced Developer Toolkit is priced at $595. Printed documentation and diskettes can be purchased separately. For more information, please see the following releases: Powersoft Announces Powersoft Enterprise Series 4.0 Powersoft Introduces InfoMaker for Windows Headquartered in Concord, Mass., Powersoft (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :PWRS PWRS Pacific Western Rail Systems (Surrey, BC, Canada model railroading reseller) PWRS Pacific Western Rail Systems (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) PWRS Prepositioned War Reserve Stock ) develops and markets the Powersoft Enterprise Series, the leading scalable family of client/server tools that encompasses the application development and information access needs of professional developers and end users across the enterprise. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Powersoft's wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. , Watcom, is a leading provider of high-performance compiler, database and other application development technologies. (a) All prices quoted are in US dollars and limited to the United States and Canada. Powersoft, the Powersoft Enterprise Series, PowerBuilder, InfoMaker and PowerTips are trademarks of Powersoft Corporation. Watcom is a registered trademark of Watcom International. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Patricia Colpitts Brenda Nashawaty
Rachael Stockton Steve Casey
Powersoft Corporation Lois Paul & Partners
(508) 287-1500 (617) 862-4514
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