Can you please tell me what DBase is?

Question

Hi,I rely need to know what DBase IV is and why it is obsolete? What are its advantages and disadvantages? What criteria should I use to compare it with oracle? Can you help me please?
Thanks

Answer 1

DBase IV is quite old, i haven't seen it in at least 10 years. The product has evolved a long way from version "IV" the official website is http://www.dbase.com/



I don't think it has a lot of market share these days, Oracle or even MySQL are more powerful solutions for a database.



Also re: another answer - Lotus (referring to the original Lotus 1-2-3) and Excel are spreadsheets, not Databases.



Sorry i don't have any experience with current versions of DBase but since you asked about DBase IV, That version was from sometime in the early or mid 90's and used flat database technology (not a relational database like Oracle). You can see in the following links a few comparisons between various database technologies; that might help but if you are doing anything new I would not even consider using dbase IV as the basis for it. MySQL is free and far more capable.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_relational_database_management_systems

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_database_tools

Answer 2

DBase needs no OS. You could run an Apple or IBM-compatiable computer using DBase -- without DOS, without Windoze, without CP/M, without UNIX or any of the other choices for an OS. Big advantage. However, DBase could never replace al the things we expect from a computer. Futhermore, there is no GUI, just a terminal.

Answer 3

Dbase was a program used to make dataBase entries and compile them. It was awkward to use after the initial leap forward from manual to pcs made it seem like a godsend. Lotus and Excel soon surpassed it's functionality.

Answer 4

For a description see here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBase

and links in the "External links" section