When Sybase first released the Unwired Platform in 2008, it was intended to
be a complete end-to-end development environment for mobile applications.
SUP developers would create the middle tier components (a.k.a. Mobile
Business Objects), and the client application executables from a single,
integrated Eclipse-based toolset. There was a "PowerBuilder-like" 4GL
screen painter, called the Device Application Designer (or DAD), that
compiled down to native Blackberry 5/6 or Windows Mobile 6.5 applications.
(Yes, it's hard to imagine, but there was a time when iOS devices were not
allowed to play in the Enterprise Mobile Application playground...)
Several market forces emerged around that time and started to cast doubts on
the wisdom of the "complete end-to-end" strategy. Those were (in no
particular order or importance):
The release of the iPad, and overall growth o... (more)
Every development shop that is currently managing its PowerBuilder source
code with a third-party SCC tool and has not yet migrated to PB8 will need to
understand the upcoming changes in methodology before attempting a migration.
Even PBNative users will be affected, as that interface has been redesigned
to use the SCC interface as well.
In my previous article, "Understanding the SCC Interface in PowerBuilder 8"
(PBDJ, Vol. 8, issue 11), I outlined the sweeping rewrite of the source code
control (SCC) interface introduced in PowerBuilder 8.0. This article walks
through some simp... (more)
Every software development project of any significant size or complexity has
a requirement for controlling the source code asset. PowerBuilder is capable
of integrating with any third-party Source Code Control (SCC) tool that
implements Microsoft's SCC API. However, the fact that PowerBuilder stores
its code inside PowerBuilder Libraries (PBLs) and not as individual ASCII
text files adds a layer of complexity to that integration. The release of
PowerBuilder 8.0 in 2001 brought with it a new set of challenges in the form
of a completely redesigned interface with SCC providers, inc... (more)
Yes, Virginia, Sybase does have a J2EE-compatible application server, and
it's known as EAS, short for Enterprise Application Server.
In fact, EAS is alive and well, and this issue of the PowerBuilder
Developer's Journal will focus on the recent release of version 6.0. Why, you
may ask yourselves, would a magazine dedicated to a 4GL development IDE want
to devote any energy to reviewing an application server platform? The simple
answer is this - EAS has been the lone choice for PB development shops that
wanted to deploy NVOs to a middle-tier application server. There's no better ... (more)
Source code control (SCC) has become a "hot topic" lately, especially after
PowerBuilder 8.0 was released, as it contains a wholesale revision to its
interface with third-party SCC tools.
PB8 now leverages the full functionality of Microsoft's SCC API, and is much
more tightly integrated with the SCC repository. There are now over a dozen
commercially available SCC tools that implement the SCC API, and choosing the
appropriate tool for your organization is not a trivial task. The scope,
features, and functions of these tools range from the "bare bones" approach
of the open-sourc... (more)
Paul Horan is a Senior Solution Advisor and Mobility Architect at SAP, and works with the SAP Mobile Platform and SAP Mobile Secure product lines. Paul joined SAP as part of their acquisition of Sybase in June, 2010. Prior to that, Paul worked for Sybase as a technical pre-sales architect supporting PowerBuilder, PowerDesigner, and SQL Anywhere. Paul works out of SAP's Reston VA office.
A 1984 graduate of Indiana University, Paul currently resides in Arlington VA.
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