| PB is doing a good job in Client Server
and getting into 3 tier in a very effective manner.
Look forward to its future. |
| Amazing for Datawindow, but as far as
building a shrink-wrapped application, PB is terrible.
|
| I have used FoxPro, VB, and Java somewhat.
PB provides the best development environment for robust
applications. |
| What happens with Powerbuilder .NET?
|
| The datawindow, and specificaly the
web datawindow is fantastic! |
| I really love PB and hope to be able
to use my skills to find another job when I move in
the new year..Feel like a bit of a dying breed but for
my money it's the best clien-server development tool/environment
that has ever existed..A shame if it ends up in a cul-de-sac
of maintaining legacy code, that said for some reason
it seems to provide a solid base for learning other
OO languages for those that have to jump ship, my time
spent with it has certainly not been wasted. |
| I was very encouraged by the Sybase's
stated commitment (at TechWave 2001) to the ongoing
development of PowerBuilder as a development environment
for the future. I think it's still the best tool around
for doing DB apps. And the new web additions are great.
The only real drawback I know of is that we must deploy
the huge run-time DLLs with all our apps. |
| We're still on PB 6.5 and are planning
to goto PB 8 in the new year. |
| I love using PB as I loved using Clipper
before that. I'm getting out as soon as I can. The handwriting
is on the wall. |
| We are currently using PB 6.5 and are
having to decide if to upgrade or move our current applications
to other technology. We would prefer to stay with PB
but we don't know if the upgrade will be smooth since
we use a base library. Also the company is leaning more
towards using web technology, so they are investing
some time in finding a tool that is flexible. |
| PB is a very Nice tool, but not so flexible
as we need |
| PowerBuilder is Excellent! |
| PB is a good tool to develop database
applications but have restriction to deployment |
| It's a pity that Sybase didn't find
the way to put PowerBuilder in Internet in a reasonable
way |
| PB 8 is a lot better than 7 but it is
still not acceptable as a development tool in terms
of stability. It is still a long way behind in terms
of technology as well. |
| Easy, but tough to maintain. Badly solved
appl. internationalisation support. Badly solved multi
db usage. (dw doesn't cover differences between databases).
|
| It's a good tool but I think as using
and following the right standards are important. |
| Tighter integration with web technology
would give PB a new lease of life! |
| PB was stabilizing all the way up to
version 7.0, when they shook the guts out of it. |
| The datawindow and pipeline tools are
the biggest assets of Powerbuilder. |
| Powerbuilder was and still is a good
CS tool. It probably is a good web tool too, however
Sybase's lack of adequate promotion of the tool has
led to it's downfall. Infomaker is also a superior reporting
tool with the same problem. |
| I am in software Development Company
(more than 8000 people working on various projects/platforms)
that is why I think we get real picture and currently
there are not a single project running on PB. Some project
required PB since they want to convert on java. |
| I think PB is 100 times better than
VB but for whatever the reason (marketing, etc) it does
not get much exposure. That's sad. |
| PowerBuilder is used mostly for maintaining
legacy applications, most new Power builder apps are
rewrites of poorly functioning business apps. For the
long term, Oracle and .net will be the strategic targets
as soon as the .net technology proves itself. The corporation
is focusing on the major players, MS, IBM, and Oracle.
Sybase is one too many technologies to support |
| More information on how to take existing
PB apps to the net. How to use PB with existing hardware/software
(SQL, IIS, etc.) and be internet friendly. We don't
really want to buy more software. Currently we develop
for the internet via ASP. This is what will determine
if we stay with PB. |
| The best tool I've ever seen, but in
web development, we've been inclined to follow JSP tecnology
usin Dream Weaver Ultra Dev wich has a much better design
capabilities. |
| The largest problem with PB is the lack
of marketing by Sybase. |
| Using PowerBuilder is hard to: Implement
SCM policy Perform white box testing Deploy distributed
application, Jaguar is expensive ( PB 8 ) PowerBuilder
is good for: Client/Server development because of datawindows
feature. |
| PowerBuilder is great. The main question
from our clients has been whether PB/Sybase will be
around in the coming years. Another concern is whether
PB can successfully be utilized on the web. These are
major concerns for us since our clients are in the energy
industry world wide. |
| PowerBuilder is an excellent and very
productive tool once you learn how to use it. For us,
it is easy to continue using it rather than retraining
everyone. |
| Somewhat clumsy. Not happy with lack
of support from Sybase. PFC creates larger than necessary
application. |
| It has some nice features but we are
primarily a Microsoft shop and PB doesn't fit as well
as Microsoft developer tools. I have the impression
that PB isn't being actively enhanced to keep up with
the competition. |
| Great idea, datawindows and great and
powerful. New web stuff Sybase marketing leaves much
to be desired! So too does its support! Decent books
and training are limited. |
| I have been using PB since version 4.
I currently have applications running on version 6.5.1.
I am also doing new development in this version. The
reason we have not moved to versin 7 or 8 is because
of the learning curve that would be involved in adjusting
to the new GUI. We have no time. Currently we are not
developing any applications for the internet, but we
will soon need to start integrating the current applications
with the web. At that time we will probably move to
version 7 or 8. I am also very skeptical after reading
problems that users have had after migrating to version
7 and 8. They cannot find certain features, some things
stop working, etc. I love version 6.5.1, and I will
continue using it as long as I can. |
| Critical for us. Unix versions bugged.
|
| I do not understand the reason of downfall
of PowerBuilder as a client/server tool why people are
drifting away while VB takes more building time and
testing. I think still need improvement on Web. my manager
(non-programming expert) fear that Sybase will close
and there will be no support in future. Second problem
I noticed is the VB programmers try to dominate with
the idea which I mentioned above. |
| PB had critical mass but lost it. Many
good features, but industry support is in decline. |
| PowerBuilder is the tool of choice when
developing a small database utility on a windows environment
when it is needed to be deployed to non programming
staff because of the speed with which it can be deployed.
We use a number of other development tools Java, Visual
C++, perl, to name a few as about 30% of the work is
done on both Unix and Windows (currently NT4). |
| Management is being pulled by the market
and marketing without consideration of what is the best
solution. I wish Sybase would do a better job of marketing
PB. Of course better would mean poor based on current
efforts of non-existant. I guess I am resistant to change
until I see something better. |
| I hope they continue to improve and
enhance this product. We have used it since version
3. |
| Big pain: Foreign language version (runtine)
does not follow major "Cn" release. Ex: Not
yet a French version for PB 7.0.3 C3 (build 10077).
|
| PowerBuilder is getting caught up in
the whole internet hoopla and is forgetting what they
do best. That is Client Server and flexability to run
on different platforms. While Sybase I'm sure is a good
company they've forgotten what Powerbuilder does best
and is allowing other companies to even steal that away
from them(i.e. oracle). A couple more suggestion to
Powerbuilder. Design the software to be able to run
fast from a network share rather than having to be deployed
to every computer. Secondly, Design an interface where
the datawindows do not have to be deployed through code
but rather through a backend database(more flexible).
|
| Sybase is not doing good enogh marketing
with PB. |
| PB8 needs to succeed where PB7 failed
miserably. Sybase will lose its developer base if PB8
is not a solid, stable product immediately. With an
additional boost to its Web-creation capability, it
could be a development force in many large organizations.
|
| I have been using PB versions 7.0 to
7.03 and plan to start using PB 8.0. I have used Visual
Basic and Visual C++ in the past. What drives me nuts
about PB is the instability of the IDE. I loose a fair
amount of time due to PB crashing in the programming
environment, especially dealing with datawindows. |
| Too bad Sybase doesn't push more PB...
It's an excellent product... We still developp Client/Server
for some critical application. Web is not the end of
the world! |
| Go PB! |
| The Best Client/Server Tool Different
new bugs in each release leading to lost productivity
due to workarounds. Crash too often without any obvious
pattern or behavior. Needs callback functionality. |
| With the features of PB 9 (support of
XML and more web features), I am sure all PB developers
and PB houses will be at a great advantage. |
| An excellent program for client/server
development although some areas still need improvement
(arrays, datawindow speed, etc.). The last time I tried
developing a web aplication, it was cumbersome, confusing
and expensive. |
| It is the best Client/Server and N-tier
development tool I have used. I can not imagine using
anything else. Once I get someone trained in PB, they
develope applications much faster than my VB programmers.
|
| Sybase needs to consider PowerBuilder
on UNIX again. For business application development
not needing internet interface, it is hard to find anything
to compete with PB. 70% of the businesses in the US
are small businesses and 90% of them do not use the
internet. |
| Very frustrating to see all app dev
tools focusing so much on WEB dev, when I believe that
client/server apps are more at the heart of Information
Systems. Not all applications need a shopping cart.
Of course, the power of XML and newer technologies need
to be incorporated, but I do not program WEB apps. I
may expose data to the WEB. I develop apps to improve
upon our in-house management of data and workflows.
|
| Sybase is not doing
a good job of marketing Powerbuilder. The number of
Powerbuilder jobs is declining. As a developer, I need
to make sure my programming skills are marketable so
I try to work on other technologies as well. We had
one recent project where we make the decision for the
techonology and chose Java instead of Powerbuilder for
that very reason. |
PowerBuilder is not dead! 5% of PowerBuilder users only
do not plan on using PB anymore. 
