Hi David,

 DN> Hi Andrew,

 DN> I am quite familiar with calculus of several variables. I still don't
 DN> see how that can relate to soccer, but then I don't know much about
 DN> soccer. I'm an Australian and follow Hawthorn. [The Hawks don't play
 DN> soccer.]

 DN> Can you netmail or Internet me the details please? This seems
 DN> intriguing.

No. If anyone else uses the same strategy as me, it dilutes my winnings.
I will not reveal more details until I'm rich enough not to care about
the dilution.

 DN> If you have it in MS Word 2.0 equation editor format that would be
 DN> superb. 

I Use WOrd 5.0 for DOS and OS/2 - no equation editor here.

The equations are not shown explicitly, and they are embedded in dBase
code. 

 AG> Uuencode and send it to dwnoon{at}ibm.net if possible.

No Internet access (cant afford the phone bills).
 
 AG>  DN> If you port it to DB2/2 it would even be on-topic for this echo.
 AG> 
 AG> I did try. I put a lot of effort into DB2, but I just couldnt do
 AG> it.

 DN> What was the problem? Remember that DB2/2 requires a host programming
 DN> language; it doesn't provide any features other than database access.

Exactly - dBase has a whole load of stuff for generating the user interface.
I can build fast user-friendly human interfaces (text mode for speed) quite
easily. dB2 requires this stuff to be written in smething else - 
I would love a C library that gives me menuing, picklists, widowing, in 
text mode.
 
 DN> Good database systems require a host language. A number of them
 DN> provide you with a quick&dirty language of sorts, but it is seldom
 DN> adequate. 

Leaves an enormous great hole in the market, doent it?

 DN> A bundled DBMS+language usually ends up like dBASE or MS Access.

What a poor reflection on the industry as a whole.

 DN> Perhaps you should have tried VisPro REXX. It has excellent
 DN> integration with DB2/2. 

Isn't it for building PM apps? I want text mode for speed. I would only
use a GUI where graphics are an inherent part of the app.

 DN> Indeed, you forget about DB2 and just build
 DN> your app using VisPro REXX. It then builds the database structure
 DN> automagically [well, almost]. 

I am a complete novice at REXX  -I know I really should learn it,
but I would prefer to postpone it for another year. If I am going
to write in a non-database language, it will be C or Fortran.

 DN> However, REXX doesn't crunch numbers all that quickly.
 
Nor does dBase and I expect this stuff will have to be coded in a 
real language.

I have the package 'Instant OS/2 - porting C programs to OS/2' which 
is basically a text mode windowning kit for C. I think I may add 
a pick-list facility to this and then use it.

Oracle has a thing called SQL*Forms for making user interface. 
I have an old version of it. This does not have picklists, and 
the new version is not bundled  with Oracle. Menuing was an extra 
package 'SQL*Menu' - and these were chargable extras. I wont get on
board that boat willingly.

If I go this route, I will make my own text-mode SQL front end
which can use DB/2 or Oracle, or any other SQL engine. And maybe
run as a BBS door too!

Andrew



... Wars don't decide who's right. They decide who's left...
--- Blue Wave/Max v2.30 [NR]