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. |