Xbase compilers

[Tim Keeling]

Is Clipper(tm) still the only xbase compiler that can give you a
stand alone EXE file that has a filesize under 500,00 bytes?

If you were under disk space constraints and HAD to produce an
executable with a filesize of about 250-300 thousand bytes is
Clipper the only way.

** Clipper is a product of Nantucket
** FoxPro is a product of Fox software.

--
Tim Keeling
kee...@cs.utk.edu

[Cliff Green]

kee...@cs.utk.edu (Tim Keeling) writes:

>Is Clipper(tm) still the only xbase compiler that can give you a
>stand alone EXE file that has a filesize under 500,00 bytes?

You could use Force or CodeBase.

I use Clipper, myself, so this is neither endorsement nor knock.

>If you were under disk space constraints and HAD to produce an
>executable with a filesize of about 250-300 thousand bytes is
>Clipper the only way.

See above. Compatibility and learning curves are not considered
in this answer.
--
Clifford Green Internet: gr...@rwja.umdnj.edu
Academic Computing Services voice: 908-463-4436
UMDNJ-RWJMS fax: 908-463-5252
#include <fineprint.h>

[Joseph Kruckenberg]

There are a few options I know of. I've seen ads for products which take an
xBase program and generate a C file from it, which you could then compile
on your favorite C compiler (or even port to another system). These are
usually advertised in magazines like DBMS, etc, in small (1/4 page) ads near
the back of the issue. I think I saw one in April in DBMS.

These pseudo-compilers will give you an EXE file of smaller size, as not all
the libraries are included (as is the case with a FoxPro standalone EXE file).
They do have the disadvantage of generating code that usually runs slower
than xBase, at least as far as database functions are concerned (since the
pseudo-compilers are usually written by a few people in a small company that
doesn't have time or resources to research and develop fast algorithms).

Another option is to write the program in C using a library package such
as CodeBase, which will allow you access to xBase files and indexes, but
still let you control the low-level program execution and size. This may
be a good choice if you haven't already written the program in xBase.

The best option is to just wait until either MicroSoft (FoxPro) or Borland
(dBase) comes out with a compiler, which should be much sooner than before,
now that they'll be competing for a larger share of the market. Of course,
Ashton-Tate promised a dBase compiler years ago, and didn't get too far, so
who knows how long it'll be.

Anyways, hope that'll give you a better idea.
Pete.