> SoftCode for PowerBASIC Released Carmel, Calif. ----May 19, 1995 ----
> PowerBASIC, Inc. announced today the release of a PowerBASIC version
> of award winning code generator, SoftCode. SoftCode, two-time winner
> of th "Data Based Advisor" Readers Choice Award, now has a special
> version for PowerBASIC, "PC Magazine's" Editor's Choice as best DOS
> Basic.
  I am writing this message regarding Softcode for Windows.  In my
opinion it is about as useless as "PowerBasic for Windows".
  The screens it generates and the databases it uses remind me of the
old XT days when data entry without text-graphics or a mouse wasnt an
option.  The screen creation utilities also show age and quite frankly
are tacky.  I cannot believe someone would buy such garbage as this.
The help system doesn't even deserve a comment.  It took me ten
minutes to evaluate this product:  2 to install, 3 to look-at, and 5
to get an RMA!
  Maybe I'm spoiled by DSE's PB/VISION, but SoftCode's look and feel
(both the designer and the sample application) reminded me too much of
the early 80's!!! At only $79 Vision allows you to design true,
modern-looking screens, uses event-driven technology, and comes with a
screen- design/code-generation utility. This feature list goes on and
on for PB/VISION. All I do is design my screens and go!
  With PB/VISION and Paul Propst's database engine, I can get an
application created quickly and efficiently and they are network ready
- Softcode is not!
  One even more puzzling thing behind Softcode was its display effects
that require about a 15KB TSR to even the draw screens.  There is a
word for this:  tacky!
  PowerBasic 3.0C is a very awesome compiler and deserves respect.  I
feel that SoftCode doesn't even come close to the quality of
PowerBasic and I feel better packages are out there.  As a developer,
I am happy using DSE Software Publishing's PB/VISION, Paul Propost's
Database engine.
  I am also concerned that PowerBasic continues to back products of
inferior quality written by other people, while at the same time
producing the best BASIC compiler in the world!  Come on---- get on
the bandwagon before too many of us get disgusted and ship out!
    Michael Thomason
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.10 
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