- Email: [email protected]
Designing screen layouts
products and services Designing screen layouts Nixdorf Computers has introduced the mask management system (MMS) aimed at financial institutions and other large corporate departments. MMS is a tool for designing, testing and execution of display screen applications. It runs on Nixdorf's 8864 distributed data and transaction processing system. It allows users to design
Relational Sibas system Norsk Data has released a relational database version of its Sibas system called Sibas/R. It is coupled with a complete implementation of SQL, the de facto structured query language. The system incorporates both CODASYL and relational features. This system was made possible because Sibas already contained directly corresponding concepts to those used in relational systems. In Sibas/R the physical database may be accessed
OS/2 tool kit Software developers awaiting OS/2, the operating system for IBM's Personal System/2 computers, will welcome the arrival of the OS/2 software development kit. The tool kit includes the basic kernel and associated literature, and will enable developers to begin working on OS/2 applications. The full OS/2 which includes the
vol 29 no 7 september 1987
their own screen layouts independent of the applications processing. MMS dialogues are made by creating masks under the interactive editor. Each mask comprises a constant display area in the background and a variable area in the foreground to display the input and output fields. During the creation process, fields may be grouped together to minimize instructions for input and output. The MMS simulation facility, called IDSIM, allows demonstrations to users of selected application dialogues before all the application programs are written. Help facilities allow users to add help screens to display sequences after the main screens have
been finalized. When a mask design is completed, the MMS compiler translates the description from the source to the object form. During this the syntax and semantics of the description are checked, and the standard header specifications incorporated. According to Nixdorf, the user can choose from output of source and object, an error list, a workfile dump and a function sequence log during complication. MMS can be integrated with COBOL o r A S S E M B L E R o n the Nixdorf 8864 series. Price on application (Nixdorf
Computer Ltd, 125 135 Staines Rd, Hounslow, Middx TW3 3JB, UK. Tel: 01-570 1888) []
with existing data manipulation language (DML) calls but is also accessible through the new SQL implementation (SQLi) and other query languages and report generators from Norsk Data. SQLi allows the user to manipulate tables and interrogate a database in a relational manner. Plain English is used, making it accessible to people who are not D P specialists. The SQLi language provides a software tool for both application development and system users. Sibas/R starts at £5480 for the compact version and increases to £13 700 for the ND500. (Norsk Data
MODULA-2 for IBM 370
De Montfort Rd, Reading, Berks RG1 8LP, UK. Tel: (0734) 507624) []
59 Canning Rd, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6QF, UK. Tel: 01-656 7333) []
MODULA-2 is now available for use on IBM 370 machines. The MODULA/370 package is a complete implementation of the language and, according to the developers, is the fastest programming language available to MVS users. It has compilation speeds of 9000 lines/m on a 4341 and 36000 lines/m on a 3033, requires 350 kbyte of parLtd, Benham Valence, Newburv, tition, and programs can address up to Berks, RG16 8LU, UK. Tel." (0635) 16 Mbyte of memory. This MVS com35544) [] piler claims to implement true compile time version checking, which is impresentation manager and LAN facil- portant for software project control. ity will not be available until the first The MODULA/370 package contains quarter of 1988. The development kit twelve library modules providing feaincludes upgrades and a seminar for tures such as string handling and managers to assess the use of OS/2 in communication to the underlying their companies. The seminar is also MVS environment. The interfacing of available on its own. More technical MODULA-2 with foreign languages is courses for experienced programmers also possible. Existing routines e.g. in are being run as well. FORTRAN or ASSEMBLERcan be called OS/2 software development kit from the MODULA-2 environment. costs £2000 and is available worldMODULA/370 Costs £6500. (Real wide. (Microsoft Ltd, Excel House, 49 Time Associates Ltd, Canning House,
405
Relational Sibas system Norsk Data has released a relational database version of its Sibas system called Sibas/R. It is coupled with a complete implementation of SQL, the de facto structured query language. The system incorporates both CODASYL and relational features. This system was made possible because Sibas already contained directly corresponding concepts to those used in relational systems. In Sibas/R the physical database may be accessed
OS/2 tool kit Software developers awaiting OS/2, the operating system for IBM's Personal System/2 computers, will welcome the arrival of the OS/2 software development kit. The tool kit includes the basic kernel and associated literature, and will enable developers to begin working on OS/2 applications. The full OS/2 which includes the
vol 29 no 7 september 1987
their own screen layouts independent of the applications processing. MMS dialogues are made by creating masks under the interactive editor. Each mask comprises a constant display area in the background and a variable area in the foreground to display the input and output fields. During the creation process, fields may be grouped together to minimize instructions for input and output. The MMS simulation facility, called IDSIM, allows demonstrations to users of selected application dialogues before all the application programs are written. Help facilities allow users to add help screens to display sequences after the main screens have
been finalized. When a mask design is completed, the MMS compiler translates the description from the source to the object form. During this the syntax and semantics of the description are checked, and the standard header specifications incorporated. According to Nixdorf, the user can choose from output of source and object, an error list, a workfile dump and a function sequence log during complication. MMS can be integrated with COBOL o r A S S E M B L E R o n the Nixdorf 8864 series. Price on application (Nixdorf
Computer Ltd, 125 135 Staines Rd, Hounslow, Middx TW3 3JB, UK. Tel: 01-570 1888) []
with existing data manipulation language (DML) calls but is also accessible through the new SQL implementation (SQLi) and other query languages and report generators from Norsk Data. SQLi allows the user to manipulate tables and interrogate a database in a relational manner. Plain English is used, making it accessible to people who are not D P specialists. The SQLi language provides a software tool for both application development and system users. Sibas/R starts at £5480 for the compact version and increases to £13 700 for the ND500. (Norsk Data
MODULA-2 for IBM 370
De Montfort Rd, Reading, Berks RG1 8LP, UK. Tel: (0734) 507624) []
59 Canning Rd, Croydon, Surrey CRO 6QF, UK. Tel: 01-656 7333) []
MODULA-2 is now available for use on IBM 370 machines. The MODULA/370 package is a complete implementation of the language and, according to the developers, is the fastest programming language available to MVS users. It has compilation speeds of 9000 lines/m on a 4341 and 36000 lines/m on a 3033, requires 350 kbyte of parLtd, Benham Valence, Newburv, tition, and programs can address up to Berks, RG16 8LU, UK. Tel." (0635) 16 Mbyte of memory. This MVS com35544) [] piler claims to implement true compile time version checking, which is impresentation manager and LAN facil- portant for software project control. ity will not be available until the first The MODULA/370 package contains quarter of 1988. The development kit twelve library modules providing feaincludes upgrades and a seminar for tures such as string handling and managers to assess the use of OS/2 in communication to the underlying their companies. The seminar is also MVS environment. The interfacing of available on its own. More technical MODULA-2 with foreign languages is courses for experienced programmers also possible. Existing routines e.g. in are being run as well. FORTRAN or ASSEMBLERcan be called OS/2 software development kit from the MODULA-2 environment. costs £2000 and is available worldMODULA/370 Costs £6500. (Real wide. (Microsoft Ltd, Excel House, 49 Time Associates Ltd, Canning House,
405