Five developers spent Monday afternoon at a golf course new to R:BASE conferences. Moon Golf Club, in Moon Township, PA, is virtually adjacent to the Pittsburgh airport. Duey, Dewey, and Dewey (Heffelfinger, Brock, and Paul), played with Steve Sweeney and Bill Downall, who prefer not to be known hereafter as Hughie and Louie.
As with our usual courses in Murrysville and Irwin, PA, Moon was lovely, hilly, short, and inexpensive. Paul took so many pictures that we were afraid Tiger Woods caddy Steve Williams would appear to smash his camera. The weather was perfect. The course was not crowded, so five people playing together didn't disturb anyone. We finished in about three and a half hours, so catching a plane to California was still easy.
Everyone hit some really nice shots. And Duey birdied the first hole.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Capturing a signature from a handheld unit
Frank Taylor and Karen Tellef: Capturing a signature from a handheld unit and scanning back documents
Frank and Karen demonstrated an application they developed for Araho Transfer that enables the capture of signatures from handheld units. The application uses VB code to perform the actual signature-capture event. The signature is converted into a bitmap file which is stored on a central server.
It took a good bit of research to find the equipment that best fit the needs of the project. They settled on Fujitsu 5650C Scanners along with the bundled software Virtual ReScan by Kofax.
By taking advantage of today’s technology, with R:BASE as the centerpiece, Araho Transfer has made significant strides in their transition to a paperless office. Impressive indeed!
Frank and Karen demonstrated an application they developed for Araho Transfer that enables the capture of signatures from handheld units. The application uses VB code to perform the actual signature-capture event. The signature is converted into a bitmap file which is stored on a central server.
It took a good bit of research to find the equipment that best fit the needs of the project. They settled on Fujitsu 5650C Scanners along with the bundled software Virtual ReScan by Kofax.
By taking advantage of today’s technology, with R:BASE as the centerpiece, Araho Transfer has made significant strides in their transition to a paperless office. Impressive indeed!
Banquet Awards - Helping Hands
Conference Photographers - John Engwer, Ken Shapiro, Paul Dewey, Emmitt Dove
Foodies - Brad Davidson (Starbucks) and Tom Eldred (Restaurant Map); also not pictured: Cheryl McClure
Cruise Control - The Limas
Duffer - Steve SweeneyNot pictured: The BloggingHeads - Bogey Bill (Bill Downall), R Bang (Paul Dewey), RBDeveloper (Mike Ramsour), MANOPT ON (Emmitt Dove)
Not pictured: Fundraising - Adriana Montano and Claudine Robbins
Banquet Awards - Best Suggested Feature
The awards for Best Suggested Feature went to Mike Byerley (dllcall), Charlie Parks (PROPERTY everything), Jan Johansen (images in listviews) and Emmitt Dove (hide on startup) SupeR:Bug
Charlie Parks was recongnized for his thoroughly-detailed approach to bug reporting, complete with Powerpoint presentations with circles and arrows.Banquet Awards - Bug Finders Extraordinaire
The Bug Finders Extraordinaire - Buddy Walker, Bill Downall, Sami Aaron, Emmitt Dove and Charlie ParksBanquet Awards - Extra Mile
Extra Mile Award Recipients from Sweden (Bo Franzén), Brazil (Silvio Castaldi, Luis Gimenes, Alexi Nicolini), New Zealand (John Docherty) and Switzerland (Adrian Hüssy)Banquet Awards - First-Timers
First-time Conference Attendees Inducted into R:Cult - Brock Dewey, Jason Kramer, John Docherty, Tony DeLuca, Mike Epstein, Laurie Jackson, Stephanie Eugenius, Boyd Wichman, Anne GiannettiDynamic R:Charts
Paul Buckley: Dynamic R:Charts – Extending the power of R:Charts to create them on the fly with user parameters
Paul demonstrated an application he has developed that enables a user to interactively select various options to create R:Charts “on the fly”.
After explaining the details of the program he demonstrated how it works.
Paul demonstrated an application he has developed that enables a user to interactively select various options to create R:Charts “on the fly”.
After explaining the details of the program he demonstrated how it works.
Donations for Project Bundle-Up Near $5,000
R:BASE Developers have blown away the previous record donation of $2,500, set in 2005. (Of course,that year, as every year, Razzak matched and then added extra funds, so that PBU received more that $5,000 that year.)
This year, as of the beginning of the banquet Sunday night, contributions from developers were near $4,600 not including matching. And during the dinner, several more donations were contributed. The laptop and iPod raffles may have been big motivators leading to the boost. Considering the economy and the weather forecasts, Pittsburgh needs a good year for Project Bundle-Up fund-raising. Thanks, everyone.
This year, as of the beginning of the banquet Sunday night, contributions from developers were near $4,600 not including matching. And during the dinner, several more donations were contributed. The laptop and iPod raffles may have been big motivators leading to the boost. Considering the economy and the weather forecasts, Pittsburgh needs a good year for Project Bundle-Up fund-raising. Thanks, everyone.
Day 3 Opening Comments
The day opened with another spirited question and answer session regarding the new Software Assurance Plan. Razzak fielded a number of questions and suggestions. Many questions can be answered by visiting http://rbase.com/support/ and clicking on the appropriate links.
John Minyo distributed the final (and perhaps most important) gift to the morning's conference attendees. Inside the tastefully wrapped box was the R:BASE flash drive that contains all of the presentations and documentation from the conference. This will prove to be a very valuable resource.
If you weren't able to attend the conference you might be able to purchase the conference materials from RBTI. They can be contacted at (724) 733-0053.
John Minyo distributed the final (and perhaps most important) gift to the morning's conference attendees. Inside the tastefully wrapped box was the R:BASE flash drive that contains all of the presentations and documentation from the conference. This will prove to be a very valuable resource.
If you weren't able to attend the conference you might be able to purchase the conference materials from RBTI. They can be contacted at (724) 733-0053.
Running R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 for Windows on Linux Server
Paul Buckley: Running R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 for Windows on Linux Server
Paul chronicled the performance issues he encountered with one of his customer’s R:BASE applications on a Windows network. Forms were taking several minutes to open up. Numerous approaches were tried ranging from tweaking the application to upgrading the network hardware.
Nothing made much of a difference and Paul’s customer wasn’t exactly ecstatic with the situation.
Finally, in desperation, Paul went out and bought a low end computer and loaded it with Red Hat Linux. He said the entire process was surprisingly easy. Once the new network was set up the performance issues pretty much disappeared.
It was acknowledged that one of the primary reasons for the performance difference between the networks is how much security Microsoft has had to build into their products. This was an intriguing presentation for many attendees since speed is a major consideration when designing and creating an application.
Measuring Customer Satisfaction – Creating Online Survey
Jan Johansen: Measuring Customer Satisfaction – Creating Online Survey
JJ Calibrations is an A2LA Accredited calibration laboratory. One of the accreditation requirements is to do periodic customer surveys. Jan decided to develop an application using R:BASE to accomplish this.
The application was designed to send out a survey to JJ Calibration's customers using R:Mail. The customers could complete the survey and send to the results back to JJ Calibration using a web address embedded in the e-mail. In order to associate the survey results with a customer, a mechanism needed to be created to assign a unique ID number to each e-mail. Jan worked with RBTI to develop a product called R:GUI ID. Jan’s system uses R:BASE, R:Mail and the R:GUI ID product.
Jan shared some of the problems he encountered and how he addressed them in developing the application.
JJ Calibrations is an A2LA Accredited calibration laboratory. One of the accreditation requirements is to do periodic customer surveys. Jan decided to develop an application using R:BASE to accomplish this.
The application was designed to send out a survey to JJ Calibration's customers using R:Mail. The customers could complete the survey and send to the results back to JJ Calibration using a web address embedded in the e-mail. In order to associate the survey results with a customer, a mechanism needed to be created to assign a unique ID number to each e-mail. Jan worked with RBTI to develop a product called R:GUI ID. Jan’s system uses R:BASE, R:Mail and the R:GUI ID product.
Jan shared some of the problems he encountered and how he addressed them in developing the application.
Winners Everywhere!
At the banquet dinner Sunday evening, Tom Eldred was the winner of the raffle for the iPod, and John Docherty from New Zealand took home the lovely Sony Viao laptop. Both items were donated by RBTI, and the proceeds will benefit Project Bundle Up. What's more, Razzak will match the funds raised by the raffle!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Developer of the Year for 2008
In recognition of his selfless dedication to R:BASE, RBTI and the R:BASE Community, and as one of Razzak's Guardian Angels, Mike Byerly has been selected as the 2008 Developer of the Year.
Congratulations, Mike!
Estimating and Beyond
John Docherty: Estimating and Beyond
John has the distinction of being the person who traveled the farthest (furthest?) distance to attend the conference. Coming to us from Christchurch, New Zealand, John presented a thorough methodology for estimating how much a project is worth. ( Anyone notice that labor was “misspelled” on one of the slides :-) )
John demonstrated an impressive and detailed R:BASE application that can be used to estimate the cost of a software project. It is incredible to realize how many details that should be considered when preparing a job quote.
Authoring Software for Learning and Testing Using Dynamic DB TreeView and ActiveX Controls
Adrian Huessy: Authoring Software for Learning and Testing Using Dynamic DB TreeView and ActiveX Controls
Adrian hails from Baden, Switzerland. He gave a well-designed presentation of how he has used DB TreeView and ActiveX controls in one of his applications.
After presenting the methodology he used, he gave the audience a demonstration of how his application works.
He then went on to explain what ActiveX Controls are and how they can be used.
To see some of the things Adrian is involved in you can visit http://www.huessy.com/defaulte.htm
Designing Touch Screen Applications
Jan Johansen: Designing Touch Screen Applications for Ultra Tablet PC Notebooks
Jan (pronounced Yan) of JJ Calibrations in Portland, OR, demonstrated an R:BASE application he developed for a handheld touch-screen PC. JJ Calibrations is an independent, A2LA Accredited calibration laboratory.
He noted that there were some special considerations due to the small size of the handheld computer. For instance, text had to be made larger due to the small screen size.
He also built some time-keeping functionality into his application so that a technician’s time could be logged . . . uuummm . . . accurately shall we say?
Jan’s application looked pretty impressive! According to http://www.jjcalibrations.com/ Jan wears no less than 3 hats including Research & Development, Technical Operations, and Webmaster.
Understanding DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, etc.
Mike Byerly: Understanding DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, CHKFUNC, DELFUNC Functions
As stated in the R:BASE Online Help: The DLCALL Function calls any Windows dynamic link library (DLL) and loads it into memory for use with R:BASE.
This capability enables a Developer to design his own functions as a Windows Dynamic Link Library using his programming language of choice. Once the DLL has been created it can then be called and manipulated using the DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, CHKFUNC and DELFUNC functions. This allows Developers to enhance or extend the already impressive capabilities of R:BASE.
Mike presented an explanation of how to use these functions and a couple of examples of how they can be used.
As stated in the R:BASE Online Help: The DLCALL Function calls any Windows dynamic link library (DLL) and loads it into memory for use with R:BASE.
This capability enables a Developer to design his own functions as a Windows Dynamic Link Library using his programming language of choice. Once the DLL has been created it can then be called and manipulated using the DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, CHKFUNC and DELFUNC functions. This allows Developers to enhance or extend the already impressive capabilities of R:BASE.
Mike presented an explanation of how to use these functions and a couple of examples of how they can be used.
Software Assurance Plan Q and A
Razzak: Special Software Assurance Plan Q and A
Due to a number of requests regarding RBTI’s new Software Assurance Plan, a special session was added. Razzak explained the reasons for instituting the plan as well as some of its features and benefits.
Specifics of the plan can be found at http://rbase.com/support/sa_plans.php
Basic highlights of the Software Assurance Plan (hereafter called the SAP):
Current users can download all current updates through the end of October regardless of their purchase date. After that any product updates, enhancements and bug fixes will be available for download only to those who subscribe to the SAP.
If you have purchased a product recently you can continue to download updates and enhancements for one year from the date of purchase. The SAP will not be applicable to existing VIP Support Plan customers, RBTI’s corporate customers, and Authorized R:BASE Developers.
Additional questions and comments should be directed to Razzak Memon. This particular blog entry should not be construed as a complete, definitive and/or legally binding explanation of the Software Assurance Plan. For complete details contact R:BASE Technologies, Inc.
Due to a number of requests regarding RBTI’s new Software Assurance Plan, a special session was added. Razzak explained the reasons for instituting the plan as well as some of its features and benefits.
Specifics of the plan can be found at http://rbase.com/support/sa_plans.php
Basic highlights of the Software Assurance Plan (hereafter called the SAP):
Current users can download all current updates through the end of October regardless of their purchase date. After that any product updates, enhancements and bug fixes will be available for download only to those who subscribe to the SAP.
If you have purchased a product recently you can continue to download updates and enhancements for one year from the date of purchase. The SAP will not be applicable to existing VIP Support Plan customers, RBTI’s corporate customers, and Authorized R:BASE Developers.
Additional questions and comments should be directed to Razzak Memon. This particular blog entry should not be construed as a complete, definitive and/or legally binding explanation of the Software Assurance Plan. For complete details contact R:BASE Technologies, Inc.
Dynamic Application Menus Using TreeView Control
Bill Downall: Dynamic Application Menus Using TreeView Control
Bill confessed that the main reason he has come up with a lot of his very useful applications, some of which he’s shared with the R:BASE Community, is because he’s basically lazy. Why make things difficult when they can be done more easily? Let the computer do the work.
To illustrate this, he demonstrated how he uses the TreeView control to make dynamic menus.
Customizing R:Mail 3.0
John Minyo: Customizing R:Mail 3.0 for Individual Mail Servers
As described at http://rbase.com/products/rmail/: “R:Mail for R:BASE is a fully-integrated innovation that makes the chore of sending email messages with attachments COMPLETELY automated from within your R:BASE for Windows application.”
This very useful R:BASE plugin has gone through numerous updates and enhancements over the years. John showed a side-by-side comparison between the 2.6 and 3.0 versions.
He then demonstrated the process of setting up R:MAIL and how to use some of its features.
During the presentation Razzak chimed in with a surprise announcement with the release of “R:Mail Editor for R:BASE Dummies”. This product helps to simplify the process of setting up and configuring R:MAIL 3.0.
Razzak and Aleksey Chuyasov demonstrated the current state of development on the Client Server version of R:BASE. Several developers were invited unannounced and unprepared to come up to the front and log in to the RDCC section of rbase.com to show their lists of bug fixes and enhancement requests. Response was impressive. The fruits of the Client Server effort will most likely be seen in the eXtreme version of R:BASE.
As described at http://rbase.com/products/rmail/: “R:Mail for R:BASE is a fully-integrated innovation that makes the chore of sending email messages with attachments COMPLETELY automated from within your R:BASE for Windows application.”
This very useful R:BASE plugin has gone through numerous updates and enhancements over the years. John showed a side-by-side comparison between the 2.6 and 3.0 versions.
He then demonstrated the process of setting up R:MAIL and how to use some of its features.
During the presentation Razzak chimed in with a surprise announcement with the release of “R:Mail Editor for R:BASE Dummies”. This product helps to simplify the process of setting up and configuring R:MAIL 3.0.
Razzak and Aleksey Chuyasov demonstrated the current state of development on the Client Server version of R:BASE. Several developers were invited unannounced and unprepared to come up to the front and log in to the RDCC section of rbase.com to show their lists of bug fixes and enhancement requests. Response was impressive. The fruits of the Client Server effort will most likely be seen in the eXtreme version of R:BASE.
Sunday Afternoon Session
Sami Aaron opened the afternoon session with a story about Mike Byerly. Mike has been instrumental in adding numerous features and fixes to R:BASE.
Sami was extremely appreciative of an enhancement to the LISTOF function that helped her solve a technical problem for a customer. Mike, in turn, convinced RBTI to add the enhancement to the core R:BASE product.
Many thanks to Mike for his unselfish support and contributions to the R:BASE Community. Hmmmm . . . maybe he should be “Developer of the Year” again?
Sami was extremely appreciative of an enhancement to the LISTOF function that helped her solve a technical problem for a customer. Mike, in turn, convinced RBTI to add the enhancement to the core R:BASE product.
Many thanks to Mike for his unselfish support and contributions to the R:BASE Community. Hmmmm . . . maybe he should be “Developer of the Year” again?
Vertical Market Applications
Razzak Memon: Vertical Market Applications: Customizing and Securing Your Code
Razzak emphasized that it is very important to protect your intellectual properties. It is far too easy for an unscrupulous person to plagiarize our code and by extension all of the hard work that went into it. He recommended that you have an Internet domain name . . . . and a good attorney.
R:Compiler is an indispensable application that converts your R:BASE application (.RBA file) into an executable file. More information can be found at http://rbase.com/products/rcompiler76/
Razzak went on to detail the steps he takes to protect his applications. This includes compiling the application, having a legally binding licensing agreement and a well-designed installer.
Additional steps that should be taken are:
Razzak emphasized that it is very important to protect your intellectual properties. It is far too easy for an unscrupulous person to plagiarize our code and by extension all of the hard work that went into it. He recommended that you have an Internet domain name . . . . and a good attorney.
R:Compiler is an indispensable application that converts your R:BASE application (.RBA file) into an executable file. More information can be found at http://rbase.com/products/rcompiler76/
Razzak went on to detail the steps he takes to protect his applications. This includes compiling the application, having a legally binding licensing agreement and a well-designed installer.
Additional steps that should be taken are:
- Password protect your database, forms and applications
Disabling TRACE
Customizing application exit routine
Dynamic Objects vs. Hide on Startup
Emmitt Dove: Dynamic Objects vs. Hide on Startup
In this interesting How-to presentation, Emmitt illustrated the use of dynamic objects. The ability to create and delete form objects is yet another powerful programming tool in the R:BASE Developer’s toolbox.
Dynamic objects are created and deleted with the CREATEOBJECT and DELETEOBJECT commands. These commands are used in conjunction with the use of component IDs.
Emmitt’s presentation illustrated a technique that can be used to logically determine whether or not to display a form on startup. This concept and technique can be applied to a variety of situations and applications.
In this interesting How-to presentation, Emmitt illustrated the use of dynamic objects. The ability to create and delete form objects is yet another powerful programming tool in the R:BASE Developer’s toolbox.
Dynamic objects are created and deleted with the CREATEOBJECT and DELETEOBJECT commands. These commands are used in conjunction with the use of component IDs.
Emmitt’s presentation illustrated a technique that can be used to logically determine whether or not to display a form on startup. This concept and technique can be applied to a variety of situations and applications.
Charting Sales Data Using R:Charts
Gary Wendike: Charting Annual Sales Data from over 40 million records
Gary presented a series of graphs that he has developed using R:Charts and R:BASE. Gary uses this dynamic duo to chart sales data for Farmland Foods to Wal-Mart. Data is tracked for a running 52 week time period.
R:Charts is an R:BASE add-on product that provides a charting solution for R:BASE databases. More information can be found at http://www.rcharts.com/
Using R:Charts, Gary produces over 120 reports each week to track sales data. The data is crunched and summarized from a massive table in R:BASE and sent to R:Charts to make a picture of the data that makes it easy to understand. “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
Interesting stuff.
Gary presented a series of graphs that he has developed using R:Charts and R:BASE. Gary uses this dynamic duo to chart sales data for Farmland Foods to Wal-Mart. Data is tracked for a running 52 week time period.
R:Charts is an R:BASE add-on product that provides a charting solution for R:BASE databases. More information can be found at http://www.rcharts.com/
Using R:Charts, Gary produces over 120 reports each week to track sales data. The data is crunched and summarized from a massive table in R:BASE and sent to R:Charts to make a picture of the data that makes it easy to understand. “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
Interesting stuff.
Sami Aaron: Integrating R:Scheduler into an Existing R:BASE application
As explained at rbase.com “R:Scheduler is a multi-user event calendar scheduling program, that also keeps track of individual contacts and a personnel task list.” A complete product description for R:Scheduler can be found at http://www.rscheduler.com/intro.php.
Sami presented an excellent demonstration illustrating how she integrated R:Scheduler into some of her R:BASE applications. Development and implementation was relatively easy for one customer but another customer was a bit more difficult.
She worked with RBTI to work out some technical issues and came up with an application that has been very well received by the “Saint Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired”.
During the Q and A discussion that followed one conference attendee asked if the Society would be interested in marketing the product that Sami has developed. Sami responded that “they are very interested in marketing the product.”
A sunny, crisp Pennsylvania autumn morning greeted attendees on Sunday. After sufficient trips to the coffee urn attendees were ready for the day’s opening comments.
One item of special note was mentioned by Bill Downall. Steve in Memphis sent the following e-mail to the R:BASE list server. In Steve’s own words:
============
Bill D, Razzak, Et Al., my St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country
Team are now TENNESSEE STATE CHAMPIONS!
Yes, RB played a role. I wrote and used a stored procedure to produce
individualized/customized workout goals based on previous race times.
Labels were generated for the runners to place on their shorts and a report
was generated for recording workout results at the workout venue.
So, this is another "true story", with AWESOME RESULTS!
Y'all have fun.
Steve in Memphis - Well, still basking in the warm glow of CHAMPIONSHIP in
Knoxville at the moment ...
============
R:BASE Rocks! Congratulations go out to Steve and the St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country team.
Following the opening comments Mike Byerly announced the first presenter of the day.
One item of special note was mentioned by Bill Downall. Steve in Memphis sent the following e-mail to the R:BASE list server. In Steve’s own words:
============
Bill D, Razzak, Et Al., my St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country
Team are now TENNESSEE STATE CHAMPIONS!
Yes, RB played a role. I wrote and used a stored procedure to produce
individualized/customized workout goals based on previous race times.
Labels were generated for the runners to place on their shorts and a report
was generated for recording workout results at the workout venue.
So, this is another "true story", with AWESOME RESULTS!
Y'all have fun.
Steve in Memphis - Well, still basking in the warm glow of CHAMPIONSHIP in
Knoxville at the moment ...
============
R:BASE Rocks! Congratulations go out to Steve and the St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country team.
Following the opening comments Mike Byerly announced the first presenter of the day.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Dinner Cruise
After the Saturday sessions a sizeable group went for a sail on the Gateway Clipper Fleet. Thanks to Sharon Lima for her efforts organizing this event!
Please see the photo slide show for evidence that a good time was had by all in attendance.
Please see the photo slide show for evidence that a good time was had by all in attendance.
Final Presentation of the Day
Razzak continued his presentation after a break to show how to create R:Web Reports. Using R:Web Suite it is eXtremely easy to publish native R:BASE reports to the web.
Another web-centric add-on is R:Web Gateway. This enables a user to export data through a web form to a variety of file formats.
Innovation begins with a need. Our customers continually challenge us with new requests, requirements and needs. RBTI faces the same challenges. To ensure continuous product improvements and enhancements they have developed the R:BASE Advantage program.
Razzak gave a demonstration of an R:BASE application designed for Ontario, Canada’s largest electric producer. The application has the capability of displaying CAD drawings (DWG files) and a wide variety of other file formats directly from an R:BASE form.
A customer need resulted in the development of R:Hash.
Razzak concluded by stating that “If you give the best you can you are untouchable.”
Another web-centric add-on is R:Web Gateway. This enables a user to export data through a web form to a variety of file formats.
Innovation begins with a need. Our customers continually challenge us with new requests, requirements and needs. RBTI faces the same challenges. To ensure continuous product improvements and enhancements they have developed the R:BASE Advantage program.
Razzak gave a demonstration of an R:BASE application designed for Ontario, Canada’s largest electric producer. The application has the capability of displaying CAD drawings (DWG files) and a wide variety of other file formats directly from an R:BASE form.
A customer need resulted in the development of R:Hash.
Razzak concluded by stating that “If you give the best you can you are untouchable.”
Who's the birthday boy?
When you get a chance be sure to wish Tom Eldred a hearty Happy Birthday! How many year's is it?????
Configuring R:Web Suite
Razzak Memon: Configuring R:Web Suite, Apache 2.2.9, and PHP 5.2.6 on Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Vista Business and 2003 Server
Razzak demonstrated the steps required to install and activate Apache and PHP on various operating systems for using R:Web Suite.
As always, Razzak makes it look “So seemple”. The details will be provided on the conference materials.
Razzak demonstrated the steps required to install and activate Apache and PHP on various operating systems for using R:Web Suite.
As always, Razzak makes it look “So seemple”. The details will be provided on the conference materials.
Taking the T to Station Square
Here's what the Port Authority of Allegheny County web page says about travelling from the Omni William Penn to Station Square, either for a dinner cruise, or just to wander Station Square and find shopping restaurants, light, water and music shows, or whatever.
If you miss the 5:09, there's another one at 5:27pm. They apparently run about 18 minutes apart. You don't want to get to Station Square after 6:00.
How to Save $52K a year using R:WEB
Frank Taylor: How to save $52K/year and increase revenue 5.7% with R:Web Suite
Frank’s company, Araho Transfer in Boston, Massachusetts, was generating millions of pages of printed documents in a relatively short period of time. Araho Transfer provides transfer and handling services for the distribution of seafood products. They instituted a high priority project for reducing costs. The results surprised everyone.
They decided to use R:WEB Suite to address the needs of the project. As a result of using a Web-based solution using RBTI products, they have estimated cost savings of $52,000 a year while their sales have increased by 5.7% in 2008.
Frank presented a live online demo of the application. He pointed out that the application had to be simple to use. His company worked closely with RBTI to address some of the technical issues and difficulties that presented themselves. Rafee Memon discussed some of the challenges that had to be overcome.
You can learn more about Araho Transfer at: http://www.arahotransfer.com/home.html
Trivia question: What American TV series was inspired by the British TV program “Till Death Us Do Part?”
Frank’s company, Araho Transfer in Boston, Massachusetts, was generating millions of pages of printed documents in a relatively short period of time. Araho Transfer provides transfer and handling services for the distribution of seafood products. They instituted a high priority project for reducing costs. The results surprised everyone.
They decided to use R:WEB Suite to address the needs of the project. As a result of using a Web-based solution using RBTI products, they have estimated cost savings of $52,000 a year while their sales have increased by 5.7% in 2008.
Frank presented a live online demo of the application. He pointed out that the application had to be simple to use. His company worked closely with RBTI to address some of the technical issues and difficulties that presented themselves. Rafee Memon discussed some of the challenges that had to be overcome.
You can learn more about Araho Transfer at: http://www.arahotransfer.com/home.html
Trivia question: What American TV series was inspired by the British TV program “Till Death Us Do Part?”
Upgrading from DOS to R:BASE for Windows
Razzak Memon: Upgrading from R:BASE for DOS to R:BASE 7.6 or Turbo V-8 for Windows
§ Strategies and Easy Steps
Razzak demonstrated a real world conversion process for upgrading a database and application from R:BASE for DOS to the latest versions of R:BASE for Windows.
There is a recommended path to follow to convert a DOS application to current versions. Make sure that you begin the process with an environment that works. It is very important to be using at least R:BASE 6.5++ version 1.68 or later to do your conversion.
You should make absolutely sure that the various environment settings are ODBC compliant. This is especially true (but not necessarily limited to) the IDQUOTES, QUOTES and NULL settings.
Razzak then demonstrated a systematic process for converting an entire application from DOS up to the current versions of R:BASE for Windows. He concluded by showing how to make the final step to R:BASE eXtreme which requires a different set of rules but is quite easy to do.
The entire detailed system for upgrading databases and applications will be documented on the conference materials to be provided later.
Razzak’s final word was: GET OUT OF DOS!!. Further development is frozen.
If we’ve heard it once we’ve heard it a hundred times: “You will never regret staying current. The rest is history.”
§ Strategies and Easy Steps
Razzak demonstrated a real world conversion process for upgrading a database and application from R:BASE for DOS to the latest versions of R:BASE for Windows.
There is a recommended path to follow to convert a DOS application to current versions. Make sure that you begin the process with an environment that works. It is very important to be using at least R:BASE 6.5++ version 1.68 or later to do your conversion.
You should make absolutely sure that the various environment settings are ODBC compliant. This is especially true (but not necessarily limited to) the IDQUOTES, QUOTES and NULL settings.
Razzak then demonstrated a systematic process for converting an entire application from DOS up to the current versions of R:BASE for Windows. He concluded by showing how to make the final step to R:BASE eXtreme which requires a different set of rules but is quite easy to do.
The entire detailed system for upgrading databases and applications will be documented on the conference materials to be provided later.
Razzak’s final word was: GET OUT OF DOS!!. Further development is frozen.
If we’ve heard it once we’ve heard it a hundred times: “You will never regret staying current. The rest is history.”
v9x Hint
Click on the photo below that is labeled "Forms Builder ..." and it will load full size in your browser. Examine closely the icons on the object toolbars -- see anything new?
ABC's of Creating Plugins
Aleksey Chuyasov: ABC’s of Building a Plugin –Tips on Designing Custom R:BASE PluginsAleksey demonstrated the steps needed to create an R:BASE plugin. Plugins help to extend the functionality of R:BASE.
Plugins are created using a programming language such as Borland C++. Once the plugin is created it can be called from within R:BASE to accomplish a specific task.
This is a powerful option available to developers. RBTI offers their assistance to help get started with creating your own custom Plugins.
R:SureShip
John Minyo: Introducing R:SureShip
R:SureShip is a program that integrates UPS WorldShip 10.0 with Turbo V-8 and Oterro 8.0.
John demonstrated how the package works. The product is extremely useful for those who have the need to ship many packages at once.
R:SureShip provides many options and features for creating a shipment and tracking the packages at various stages in the process. It has multiple search and printing options.
The Help option has been enhanced to show how to integrate your database with R:SureShip.
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Prior to breaking for lunch, Sami Aaron announced that Oma Cox is a brand new grandfather. Oma made a generous donation to Project Bundle Up in honor of his new grandchild.
Sami announced that there will be a Dream Team auction on Sunday. The auction winner will get to have lunch with five members of the Dream Team.
R:SureShip is a program that integrates UPS WorldShip 10.0 with Turbo V-8 and Oterro 8.0.
John demonstrated how the package works. The product is extremely useful for those who have the need to ship many packages at once.
R:SureShip provides many options and features for creating a shipment and tracking the packages at various stages in the process. It has multiple search and printing options.
The Help option has been enhanced to show how to integrate your database with R:SureShip.
=====================
Prior to breaking for lunch, Sami Aaron announced that Oma Cox is a brand new grandfather. Oma made a generous donation to Project Bundle Up in honor of his new grandchild.
Sami announced that there will be a Dream Team auction on Sunday. The auction winner will get to have lunch with five members of the Dream Team.
Message from Grandpa Oma Cox
Oma emailed:
I too thank you for the blog. I’m with my new grand daughter (Mary Madisyn Harper) and daughter (Ashley)! Everyone is fine! Will have pictures soon! Again as I told Razzak I’m in for 200 on project bundle up! Keep the info flowing! Hope everyone enjoys the M&M’s.
Miss all of you!
Introducing R:BASE eXtreme
Razzak introduced the “Extreme Dream Team”, the ones that keep things going and keep things running smoothly at the RBTI office. Donna Memon and John Minyo comprise the “Extreme Dream Team.”
RBTI now has an automated phone system. It is very important to review the new Software Assurance Plan options. Which option you select (or choose not accept) is determined by how much you value your investment in R:BASE. Your selection determines your level of support.
Razzak Memon: “Know Your Goals and Don’t Let Anyone Distract You from Your Path”
Our Achievements:
Razzak asserted that everything begins with a vision. He then presented a series of slides showing some of the key events surrounding the birth of R:BASE Technologies following the sad events of March 13, 1998. This date marks what could have been the end of R:BASE when Abacus Computing went bankrupt.
Razzak put everything on the line to personally ensure that R:BASE did not die. Bringing R:BASE back from the brink of death, R:BASE has flourished due to Razzak’s vision.
The remarkable thing about the slide presentation was that it wasn’t done with PowerPoint but using the new R:BASE eXtreme.
Introducing the 2nd Generation: R:eXtreme (v. 9.0)
The 2nd Generation of R:BASE will be called R:BASE eXtreme. RBTI is taking advantage of the numerous features of the Microsoft programming environment.
Razzak introduced many of the new and enhanced features of R:BASE eXtreme. Some of the many noteworthy features are: support for longer file name paths (versus the 52 character limit in 7.6 and V-8), Help button on just about every dialog box, and database explorer enhancements. Just about everything is now drag-and-drop.
The database explorer has a familiar look and feel compared to previous versions but there are numerous usability enhancements and new features under the hood. The form designer will now have all of the options exposed. Currently this functionality is limited to the Enterprise Edition.
Enhancements to the report and label designers were reviewed. Over 50 new themes have been added bringing the total to 86. Themes can be easily previewed.
The R> has been enhanced with the addition of an optional history window.
A simple demonstration using the DIR command illustrated eXtreme’s blazing speed compared to Turbo V-8. Very enticing!
eXtreme is still in development and will not be released for general beta testing until Razzak says so.
RBTI now has an automated phone system. It is very important to review the new Software Assurance Plan options. Which option you select (or choose not accept) is determined by how much you value your investment in R:BASE. Your selection determines your level of support.
Razzak Memon: “Know Your Goals and Don’t Let Anyone Distract You from Your Path”
Our Achievements:
Razzak asserted that everything begins with a vision. He then presented a series of slides showing some of the key events surrounding the birth of R:BASE Technologies following the sad events of March 13, 1998. This date marks what could have been the end of R:BASE when Abacus Computing went bankrupt.
Razzak put everything on the line to personally ensure that R:BASE did not die. Bringing R:BASE back from the brink of death, R:BASE has flourished due to Razzak’s vision.
The remarkable thing about the slide presentation was that it wasn’t done with PowerPoint but using the new R:BASE eXtreme.
Introducing the 2nd Generation: R:eXtreme (v. 9.0)
The 2nd Generation of R:BASE will be called R:BASE eXtreme. RBTI is taking advantage of the numerous features of the Microsoft programming environment.
Razzak introduced many of the new and enhanced features of R:BASE eXtreme. Some of the many noteworthy features are: support for longer file name paths (versus the 52 character limit in 7.6 and V-8), Help button on just about every dialog box, and database explorer enhancements. Just about everything is now drag-and-drop.
The database explorer has a familiar look and feel compared to previous versions but there are numerous usability enhancements and new features under the hood. The form designer will now have all of the options exposed. Currently this functionality is limited to the Enterprise Edition.
Enhancements to the report and label designers were reviewed. Over 50 new themes have been added bringing the total to 86. Themes can be easily previewed.
The R> has been enhanced with the addition of an optional history window.
A simple demonstration using the DIR command illustrated eXtreme’s blazing speed compared to Turbo V-8. Very enticing!
eXtreme is still in development and will not be released for general beta testing until Razzak says so.
Opening comments, the Dream Team and History
Conference Etiquette and Guidelines
Co-emcees Sami Aaron and Bill Downall reviewed the various logistics of the Conference.
Items of special interest include Project Bundle Up and the Silent Auction. Click the link on the blog to learn more about Project Bundle Up.
R:BASE Technologies has provided two very special items to be raffled off to raise funds for Project Bundle Up. One is a top-of-the-line Sony Vaio laptop that comes with R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 preinstalled. The other item is an Apple IPod. Raffle tickets for the laptop are $10 each or 5 for $40 while tickets for the IPod are $5 each or 5 for $20.
There were a surprising number of Conference first-timers this year. They ranged the gamut from R:BASE veterans to R:BASE newbies. One attendee traveled clear from New Zealand to attend!
Developer of the Year for 2007, Mike Byerly, had the privilege of introducing Razzak Memon, president of R:BASE Technologies. Razzak expressed deep appreciation to conference attendees for coming to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RBTI. As Razzak often says, he doesn’t ration his passion he shares it. No one will ever question his passion for his “baby”.
Known facts behind the success of R:BASE Technologies, Inc.
Razzak then proudly introduced the Godfather of R:BASE, Wayne Erickson. He has been one of the many guardian angels of R:BASE.
Among R:BASE’s other guardian angels are Aleksey Chuyasov, Alex Ageev and John Minyo. Razzak is especially proud of his son Rafee Memon who is working on a double major at CarnegieMellon University.
Collectively this group represents the R:BASE Dream Team.
Razzak also introduced additional guardian angels and unsung heroes of R:BASE. These included Bill Downall, Sami Aaron, Claudine Robbins and Mike Byerly.
A video of BCON Systems from Japan was presented. They were singing a song wishing us the best of luck with R:BASE.
Amazing 10 Years!
Wayne Erickson presented a fascinating history of the original roots of R:BASE going clear back to work he did while working at NASA along with Dennis Comfort.
The acronym for the project they were working on was IPAD. Besides the official designation for what IPAD stood for and due to the difficulty and complexity of the work, additional definitions were used like:
Segue from the days of Microrim to 1998 and the official birth of R:BASE Technologies. The first official release of R:BASE under the auspices of RBTI was R:BASE 6.1A, released in November of 1998. One of the first changes to R:BASE was a fix for the JDATE function (think Y2K problems).
BCON systems, from Japan, has been an integral part of R:BASE since 1983. Their version had a number of enhancements over the 6.1A version. Using BCON’s codebase, the first true blue RBTI version was released in February, 2000. This was known as R:BASE 2000 version 6.5.
New and improved releases ensued. It came time to modernize to make R:BASE a true Windows program. The first 7.0 version was released in June, 2002. Subsequent releases included 7.1, 7.5, finally culminating in version 7.6 released in October, 2006.
There was still a need to “Break the Limits”. This required a new file format to break the 2 gigabyte technical limitation. In addition to being able to create databases of virtually unlimited size, the new format would allow for longer names for tables, reports, variables, etc. throughout the database. The new file format brought about the creation of R:BASE Turbo V-8, released in 2007.
Into the future, the next product under development is R:BASE eXtreme, version 9.0. The exciting journey continues . . .
Co-emcees Sami Aaron and Bill Downall reviewed the various logistics of the Conference.
Items of special interest include Project Bundle Up and the Silent Auction. Click the link on the blog to learn more about Project Bundle Up.
R:BASE Technologies has provided two very special items to be raffled off to raise funds for Project Bundle Up. One is a top-of-the-line Sony Vaio laptop that comes with R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 preinstalled. The other item is an Apple IPod. Raffle tickets for the laptop are $10 each or 5 for $40 while tickets for the IPod are $5 each or 5 for $20.
There were a surprising number of Conference first-timers this year. They ranged the gamut from R:BASE veterans to R:BASE newbies. One attendee traveled clear from New Zealand to attend!
Developer of the Year for 2007, Mike Byerly, had the privilege of introducing Razzak Memon, president of R:BASE Technologies. Razzak expressed deep appreciation to conference attendees for coming to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RBTI. As Razzak often says, he doesn’t ration his passion he shares it. No one will ever question his passion for his “baby”.
Known facts behind the success of R:BASE Technologies, Inc.
Razzak then proudly introduced the Godfather of R:BASE, Wayne Erickson. He has been one of the many guardian angels of R:BASE.
Among R:BASE’s other guardian angels are Aleksey Chuyasov, Alex Ageev and John Minyo. Razzak is especially proud of his son Rafee Memon who is working on a double major at CarnegieMellon University.
Collectively this group represents the R:BASE Dream Team.
Razzak also introduced additional guardian angels and unsung heroes of R:BASE. These included Bill Downall, Sami Aaron, Claudine Robbins and Mike Byerly.
A video of BCON Systems from Japan was presented. They were singing a song wishing us the best of luck with R:BASE.
Amazing 10 Years!
Wayne Erickson presented a fascinating history of the original roots of R:BASE going clear back to work he did while working at NASA along with Dennis Comfort.The acronym for the project they were working on was IPAD. Besides the official designation for what IPAD stood for and due to the difficulty and complexity of the work, additional definitions were used like:
- I plan all day
- I predict a disaster
- It probably ain’t doable
Segue from the days of Microrim to 1998 and the official birth of R:BASE Technologies. The first official release of R:BASE under the auspices of RBTI was R:BASE 6.1A, released in November of 1998. One of the first changes to R:BASE was a fix for the JDATE function (think Y2K problems).
BCON systems, from Japan, has been an integral part of R:BASE since 1983. Their version had a number of enhancements over the 6.1A version. Using BCON’s codebase, the first true blue RBTI version was released in February, 2000. This was known as R:BASE 2000 version 6.5.
New and improved releases ensued. It came time to modernize to make R:BASE a true Windows program. The first 7.0 version was released in June, 2002. Subsequent releases included 7.1, 7.5, finally culminating in version 7.6 released in October, 2006.
There was still a need to “Break the Limits”. This required a new file format to break the 2 gigabyte technical limitation. In addition to being able to create databases of virtually unlimited size, the new format would allow for longer names for tables, reports, variables, etc. throughout the database. The new file format brought about the creation of R:BASE Turbo V-8, released in 2007.
Into the future, the next product under development is R:BASE eXtreme, version 9.0. The exciting journey continues . . .
Greetings from Japan
Click to play.
Day 2 - The Conference begins. The Japanese members of the Dream Team sent a video greeting to the conference attendees.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Day 1 from Pittsburgh
Greetings from the 10th anniversary R:BASE Developers' Conference from the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh!
The day's schedule got underway with the Authorized Developers' meeting at 1pm. Whereas previous meetings were scheduled for one hour in a cramped room, this one was scheduled (wisely, as it turns out) for four hours in a spacious room for the number of attendees (roughly 32).
The attendee from the most distant location had to be Adrian Hüssy from Switzerland. By far the most-well-represented US State was California. Notably, all the attendees from the Left Coast sat on the Right Side of the Room.
The AuthDev meeting featured a good bit of lively discussion on matters of interest to the audience. At the end of the day, there was white smoke on a couple of issues, and the participants retired to the registration reception.
As usual, John (photo to come) met everyone and handed out the bag of goodies. And what a nice bag it is! Sami had much to do with the fact that it is a recycling bag (that can be used, among other places, at the grocery) with an insulated lining. Other goodies include a very nice white polo with R:BASE logo, some M&Ms with various appropriate messages (Thanks, Oma!!!), a mouse pad with the new logo (see below), a quite nice new portfolio with notepad and pen/flashlight, a stress reliever (squeeze the stressed-out head for a soothing message), and yr. editor's favorite, a tee shirt with R:BASE logo. On the front. The back of the tee carries the logo yr. editor created at the last conference in response to the logo contest challenge. While yr. editor is tempted to take this as a huge compliment, the fact is that it was the only entry and thereby the default winner.
After introductions all around and some excellent hors d'oeuvres, the reception was adjourned in favor of dinner. Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day!
Places to Eat Lunch
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Golf Monday Afternoon
We have two tee times Monday afternoon, right after the conference, at Moon Golf Club in Moon Township, near the Pittsburgh airport. The price, including cart, is a very reasonable $24. Rental clubs may be available, too. They even have a set of women's rental clubs and a set of left-handed men's clubs (and 4 sets of men's right-handed). Moon Golf Club pro shop phone number is 412-262-2992.
Please add a comment to this post if there is a chance you will play.
Please add a comment to this post if there is a chance you will play.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Saturday Cruise Into the Future
If you are attending the conference, please join us on a riverboat dinner cruise on the three rivers that flow through Pittsburgh, on Saturday night October 18th. This is a special R:BASE Technologies Anniversary, and we have much to celebrate.
This is an optional activity, but we hope many of us will take advantage of the opportunity. Reservations include a buffet dinner, dessert and coffee or tea. There is a cash bar for soft drinks and liquor. A live band will provide music from the 60's through today, and there is a dance floor.
A reserved section has been arranged for the R:BASE Technologies group. To be assured of being seated in our area, please read carefully and follow the instructions below.
The price per ticket is $47.59, including all taxes and gratuities. Call as soon as possible. Cruises do sell out.
Have your credit card in hand. There are no refunds. The cruise sails rain or shine. Seating on the two lower decks is indoors. Tickets will be delivered to you at the Saturday afternoon R:Base conference session. Refunds are given only if the ship does not sail.
The Gateway Clipper boards beginning at 5:30, sails at 6:30 and returns at 9:00. Conference presentations will end Saturday in time for all to get there. The Pittsburgh subway is convenient to both the Omni hotel and the pier at Station Square where the cruise launches.
Check out the cruise company's website at www.gatewayclipper.com
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Welcome & Open Thread
Welcome to the conference blog. You can use the "comments" link on this article to post your own remarks about the conference or about the blog. This is the place to start a conversation, even if you are not one of the official blog authors.
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