PlugSys International LLC

      1636 Graff Avenue

      San Leandro, CA 94577 

      http://www.plugsys.com


info@plugsys.com 

    
 
      
Press Release
    
  
  
 
    
 
  
  
 
    
 
      
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
      

    
    
 
      
CONTACT:

        Marc Schnapp,

        PlugSys International 
      
(510) 352-2230


mschnapp@plugsys.com



    
  
  
 
    
 
      

    
    
 
      

    
  
  
 
    
 
      
November 
        1, 1999
      

    
  
  
 
    
 
      
New 
        Xbase Product Family Expands Developer Options
      
Initial 
        Release for Linux Available Immediately
    
  

SAN LEANDRO, 
    CA—Adding an important development tool for professional Xbase developers, 
    PlugSys International announces a new compiler for the Linux operating system. 
    Max for Linux, a new product for compiling and running Xbase code on Linux-based 
    computers, has been posted for immediate download at the PlugSys web site 
    (http://www.plugsys.com).
  
Max for Linux is the first release in a 
    broader product family. Soon to follow will be Max DOS 32/W MaxWeb and MaxWeb 
    ASP. All products share a common codebase and a commitment to quickly migrating 
    legacy Xbase applications. 

  
 
    
 Max for Linux compiles and runs character-based 
      applications under the major Linux distributions for Intel processors.
  
  
 
    
Max DOS32/W compiles and runs character-based 
      applications within Microsoft’s 32-bit operating systems: Windows 95, Windows 
      98, Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server.
  
  
 
    
MaxWeb is a CGI-like Xbase engine for NT- 
      and Linux-based web servers. The PlugSys web site has been using a pre-release 
      version of MaxWeb for mailing list collection and its e-commerce functionality. 
      A beta test will begin shortly.
  
  
 
    
MaxWeb ASP adds Xbase to a web developer’s 
      tool chest. By providing an Xbase component to the Microsoft scripting host, 
      ASP applications will draw on Xbase’s high level scripting capabilities 
      and Xbase navigational DBF file access.
  

 
  
“Clipper developers have traditionally led 
    the way in the Xbase world,” says Marc Schnapp, PlugSys Marketing Vice President. 
    “So we are proud to announce the publication of our ‘Clipper to Max Migration 
    Guide.’ This 40-page downloadable document will assist experienced developers 
    in evaluating the product and mastering its added features.”
  
Sharing many features familiar to experienced 
    Xbase developers, Max adds some unique capabilities of its own:


  

    
Max introduces function prototypes 
      to Xbase. Long a key feature of ANSI C, prototypes enable the Max compiler 
      to identify defectively constructed function calls before they become complicated 
      runtime errors. Using prototypes, developers can avoid data type mismatches 
      and argument list errors.
  
  

    
Max adds a universal concatenation operator. 
      Using this operator, programmers automatically cast mixed data types into 
      character strings as they are concatenated.
  
  

    
Block enclosure characters make multiple 
      lines of code simple to write and easy to read. With block enclosure, Xbase 
      developers eliminate the need for restate a continuation character on every 
      intervening line of code.
  
  

    
Long string delimiters make multi-line quoted 
      strings simpler to express and also obviate continuation characters.
  
  

    
Pointer variables allow you to capture and 
      retrieve the address of specific functions. Calls to such functions can 
      be made using the CALL( ) function.
  
  
 
    
Xbase has long labored under the constraints 
      of CP/M-era dBASE II and an end-user interactive orientation. Max introduces 
      a “straight” syntax option. Such classic commands such as USE, can refer 
      to filenames as quoted strings or variables without resorting to macros 
      or forced expressions.
  


  
Evaluation is a seamless process PlugSys 
    International invites Xbase developers to download evaluation copies of Max 
    for Linux and to provide their email addresses for further product availability 
    announcements. Once a developer decides to become a licensed PlugSys customer, 
    he or she simply revisits the company’s web site and arranges for an activation 
    key. Full downloadable documentation is publicly available to evaluators and 
    customers.
  

# # #
  
PlugSys International enjoys a decade of 
    development experience based upon a predecessor product line marketed in Brazil 
    as Joiner. Joiner is still heavily used by DOS and SCO Unix developers 
    in that market. Joiner is the 32-bit successor with availability for Microsoft’s 
    32-bit Windows operating systems and for major Linux distributions.