Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley August 5, 2013 Deadline September 2013 Issue Desktop Databases: Still Great for Many Tasks “dBase LLC is very excited to announce the new and updated version… dBase Plus!” When I received an email announcement that dBase Plus 8 had shipped, compatible with Windows 8, I had to double check that the press release wasn’t a hoax. As a teenager, I loved experimenting with dBase III . Sure enough, dBase is back, trying to compete against Microsoft Access and FileMaker Pro. Easily one of the five most important personal computer applications of all time, dBase was the best database engine and development platform for many years. It spawned great competitors, too, from “clones” like FoxPro and Clipper to innovative databases like Alpha Five, Clarion, Revelation and Paradox. Even today, the many applications on your smartphone likely use SQLite , a relational database with tables similar to dBase IV of the 1990s. While Ashton-Tate’s dBase was not th...
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