I'm the maintainer of the vbnet track at Exercism.io and having had the
experience of becoming that, inheriting someone else's work, and getting
almost there for the v3 release next month I've been wondering how I'd
go maintaining other languages.

In the event that I created a learning track for xBase languages, which
dialect? Are Harbour, xHarbour and XSharp sufficiently similar that one
can learn one and migrate readily to either of the others?

Getting a track going is half the problem. The other is finding mentors
and I haven't done any serious xBase programming for years.

For a look at the v3 interface, see https://exercism.lol

Bruce

Dear axtens:

On Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 9:44:28 PM UTC-7, axtens wrote:
> I'm the maintainer of the vbnet track at Exercism.io and
> having had the experience of becoming that, inheriting
> someone else's work, and getting almost there for the v3
> release next month I've been wondering how I'd go
> maintaining other languages.

It isn't the language so much, but the effort the previous programmer put into documentation, standards, naming conventions, and so on. Then add in that you are programming "against" / "within" a target OS. Windoze has been trying with each new iteration to force all database applications onto one of their server platforms. So unless you are willing to be a complete maverick and alone, ride the horse in the direction it is going.

> In the event that I created a learning track for xBase
> languages, which dialect? Are...

- Harbour, ... alive, active development, but not much covered in this newsgroup
- xHarbour ... fairly stagnant. No wide characters. Been standing on the "nearly 100% backwards compatible with Clipper 5.3" for its whole life. Has a lot of good extensions (SQL and so on) in the commercial package.
- and XSharp ... this is the direction the horse is running in.

> [are they] sufficiently similar that one can learn one
> and migrate readily to either of the others?

Superficially Harbour and xHarbour read about the same. X# is not at all the same. X# will be an easier migration from C#, C++, and so on.

> Getting a track going is half the problem. The other is
> finding mentors and I haven't done any serious xBase
> programming for years.

Yea, I'd recommend doing what your heart tells you to do. xBase is what Micro$haft has tried first to control (FauxPro) and then actively kill. They (M$) make peer-to-peer networks as hard as possible (but still possible), and xBase assumes a more intimate access than occurs in real life.

I am not on or near any cutting edge, and I am still pissed that Computer Associates decided to C-ify the dBase language, functions instead of commands. So take what I say with a grain of salt. But frankly any effort you put into xBase, will make you an "expert" = "ex" is a has-been, and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure. It will not increase your marketability. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE, when you've walked this road?

David A. Smith

Il 06/08/2021 16:49, dlzc ha scritto:

> I am not on or near any cutting edge, and I am still pissed that Computer Associates decided to C-ify the dBase language, functions instead of commands.

Not "instead". To me Clipper 5 was a great step beyond, a very modern
and powerful developing language. Unfortunately (I agree with you on
this) market prefers other roads...

EMG

http://www.emagsoftware.it
http://www.emagsoftware.it/emgmusic
http://www.emagsoftware.it/spectrum
http://www.emagsoftware.it/tbosg

Il 06/08/2021 17:06, Enrico Maria Giordano ha scritto:
> Il 06/08/2021 16:49, dlzc ha scritto:
>
>> I am not on or near any cutting edge, and I am still pissed that
>> Computer Associates decided to C-ify the dBase language, functions
>> instead of commands.
>
> Not "instead". To me Clipper 5 was a great step beyond, a very modern
> and powerful developing language. Unfortunately (I agree with you on
> this) market prefers other roads...
>
> EMG
>
The illusion is to have a free marketplace. The market is driven by big
companies. Think of unstoppable advertising of pharma, cars, soaps,
movies... and people listen to them.

Kill them, and if you can't, buy them. Foxpro, Paintshop, Digital
Equipment, Digital Research, Compaq... all dead or bought to kill them
silently.

To kill a free software is a bit more complicated, but it's ony matter
of time. Big companies do not fear how much time or money is necessary
to achieve their goals.

The good news is xbase on Linux. Nobody can buy them at present time.
But you can see as Microsoft is trying to ride the tiger, now attempting
to include Linux as a kind of subsystem of Windows.

A true disgusting thing, careless of the real value of a product, or of
the advantages for customers.

Xsharp will simply be bought by Microsoft if it will gain a relevant
share of developers.

R.I.P freedom.

Dan

Il 06/08/2021 18:22, Dan ha scritto:

> R.I.P freedom.

Thank you, now my morale is higher. :-)

EMG

http://www.emagsoftware.it
http://www.emagsoftware.it/emgmusic
http://www.emagsoftware.it/spectrum
http://www.emagsoftware.it/tbosg

Dear Dan:

On Friday, August 6, 2021 at 9:22:18 AM UTC-7, Dan wrote:
> Il 06/08/2021 17:06, Enrico Maria Giordano ha scritto:
....
> R.I.P freedom.

It is the classic battle between "frontier" and "civilization". Do you always "roll your own", or do you spend months and years learning someone else's "standards". A "common language" has always cut two ways. It aids "usual" communication, but stymies free expression.

But who would you rather maintain the code from? The OP is also looking at this as a feature.

Apocryphal: The Netware network drivers were hand coded by the original programmer in assembly language up to version 3.51 (or something), and that was it.

Is what you code yours, or an effort for a larger community?

David A. Smith