From: mike@pacsoft.com (Mike Stefanik)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aix
Subject: Re: Need BASIC interpreter for IBM RS/6000 AIX ver 3.2
Keywords: BASIC
Date: 5 Sep 92 06:48:02 GMT
Organization: Pacific Software Group, Riverside, Ca.

In an article, tom@vpnet.chi.il.us (Tom Hansen) writes:
>I don't know about the cost, since I've been away from it for
>about a year now, but Unibasic from Dynamic Concepts in CA is
>an absolutely dynamite language. [...]

Do yourself a favor and stay far away from uniBasic unless you enjoy
the idea of working in an environment that's virtually identical to
Point 4 IRIS.  A company that I used to work for had considered using
uniBasic, and when they merged with another VAR, they actually did
end up using it with one of their verticals. 

The Good:

1. The product works; it provides a high degree of backwards compatability
   with Business BASIC applications, principally those written under
   IRIS BASIC;

2. The performance is good and is not overly difficult for the programmer
   to get started with productive work;

3. The documentation is generally well written, and they do have a number
   of features that can enhance the appearance of older software;

The Bad:

1. The whole uniBasic approach is to make migration from the IRIS
   platform as painless as humanly possible... the concept of effectively
   turning your RS/6000 into a fast DG IRIS system is not the way to go
   as I see things;

2. uniBasic, of course, loves to re-invent the wheel with things such
   as terminal control -- it doesn't use either termcap or terminfo;
   they provide a host of commands that duplicate the commands that
   were found in the IRIS environment;

3. the last time that I've dealt with uniBasic on an RS/6000, they
   provided the same configuration files for AIX that they do with, for
   example, SCO UNIX; specifically, the printer scripts that they
   provide do not work;

4. the software is protected by either a dongle or a *brain damamged*
   software security system that croaks with the most minor provocation;
   the latter wouldn't be so much of an issue under AIX, but on our
   other UNIX boxes, re-linking the kernel would cause it to choke and die;

The Ugly:

1. personally, it seemed that they had poor control over versions of their
   software and who was shipping what where; namely we had an emergency
   situation and they dropped the ball on us (they failed to promptly
   ship a new version of the software, and when they did, it was on 5.25"
   media for SCO UNIX... it was a less than impressive experience); the
   folks we talked to barely even knew what UUCP was and were absolutely 
   clueless about how to configure their system to allow us to pick up
   the software via modem (anonymous UUCP?  What's that?);

2. The support folks that I personally encountered were rather underwhelming
   in terms of knowledge and interest in helping me solve customers'
   problems; honestly, I never came away from a conversation with the
   thought that they gave a damn (even slightly)

Overall, I would have to give uniBasic "two thumbs down".

-- 
Mike Stefanik  mike@pacsoft.com  ...!uunet!pacsoft!mike
Pacific Software Group, Riverside, CA