x4GL technology (where x stands for various vendors implementations of I-4GL
product) evolved significantly from the days when I-4GL was the proprietary and
legacy technology, as well as the only implementation of the I-4GL compatible
language available. Significant number of x4GL vendors emerged in last 10 years,
including vendors making compatible products, extending functionality, providing
services including migration and conversion, and even the OpenSource project
with purpose of promoting and enhancing x4GL technology was established.
This document was created to enhance the visibility of all this activity, and
make it easier for a vendor to evaluate its future involvement with x4GL
technology. Primary purpose is to collect in one place sufficient information about various
available x4GL compatible products, vendors and services, for the reader to
learn what is available and what functionality to expect. It is not to be used
as a sole source of information for this purpose.
All features and other characteristics of vendors and products where
evaluated from the perspective of Business Related, Database Oriented
applications development environments. Naturally, needs of different
developments environments, even within same organization, are different, and
changing. Therefore, no scoring or other measurement method was used.
The first part, the features tables, is mostly dry facts; the following
sections, however, are much more "opinionated" by necessity. Since the choice
was made not to use scoring, it was the only way to emphasize and contrast
various strengths or weaknesses of products. As all opinions are by definition
personal, always evaluate them in the context of your specific needs and
resources. Hopefully, some will be useful, some thought provoking, but some will
not apply well to your environment. Cevat Emptor.
This document assumes some level of familiarity with x4GL technology, but one
is not expected to be a x4GL developer to benefit from it. Almost all technical
details are concentrated in "x4GL products by feature" tables, and most other
information discusses business, process and management issues. Therefore, the
target audience will range from corporate technology decision makers all the way
to development team leaders and development project managers, and curious
developers.
All reasonable effort was made to ensure that information provided was
correct. However, some information had to be condensed because of limited space,
to simplified answers, and some vendor claims where not verified. Information is
believed to be accurate at the time if the writing (June 2005), however, no
responsibility can be accepted for possible errors or omissions. Corrections
will be gratefully received.
|
|
Aubit
 |
Hy4gl |
IBM
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL (3) |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js
Genero (also
marketed by IBM) |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| Description |
OpenSource GNU/GPL compiler with many
features |
Experimental GNU/GPL compiler with
PostgreSQL only as database and CUI mode only. |
Compiler that started it all.
Character only, Informix & DB/2 DB only. |
Fusion of several 4GLs, IBM's
answer to Java productivity limitations and i-4GL migration path, focused on
web apps development |
First generation 4Js 4GL product,
high compatibility and proven performance |
Second generation 4Js product, current technology leader among commercial
products |
Strong focus on Oracle migration,
many features |
Focus on image processing,
derived form Informix 4GL |
Focus on IBM DB/2 migration,
simple Java GUI client and .NET integration |
4GL
compiler and 4GL CASE Tools, plus 4GL to Java source converter |
I4GL Extender and integration product, uses I-4gl or 4Js compiler
Acquired by WRQ, Inc. |
4GL to Java translation |
4GL to Java translator service |
4GL-like, "I-SQL on steroids"
from company that makes Informix SE database clone. |
| Source code available |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
|
| GNU/GPL or other OpenSource license |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Per-developer licensing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
? (Some versions are currently
free) |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Porting service only |
|
| Per-user (runtime) licensing |
|
|
|
? |
|
|
? (Some versions are currently
free) |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|
|
| Commercial support |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out of business (confirmed) |
Product no longer available (?) |
? |
|
|
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| Character (terminal) mode |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Message based thin GUI client |
In works |
|
|
|
TCL/TK,
Java |
Java, ActiveX control |
Java,
VB |
|
Java |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bitmap based thin GUI client |
Using
VNC, X, or other standard remote GUI display (server not integrated) |
|
|
|
Citrix/WTS
only |
Citrix/WTS only |
? |
|
? |
? |
? |
|
|
|
| OS independent GUI - access to
widget set |
GTK+ |
|
|
? |
TCL/TK and Java - partial |
Yes/Limited |
|
|
? |
? |
Motif only |
Java |
Java |
|
| MS Windows native GUI widgets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
| Java thin GUI |
Using
VNC or X Java clients |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Java GUI as applet |
Using
VNC or X Java clients |
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
? |
|
N/A |
| Full control over GUI widgets
from 4GL code
(Integrated - non client GUI) |
|
N/A |
N/A |
? |
|
Limited |
Client access to ActiveX and Java
Beans, but not form 4gl code |
? |
|
? |
? |
? |
|
N/A |
| UI screen format |
Block (.per) & Glade |
Block only (.per) |
Block only (.per) |
Converted .per, Java Server Faces |
Block only (.per) |
Block, but gets stripped to XML
format that is then customizable |
Block only (.per) |
Block only (.per) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| HTML interface |
CGI only, manual |
|
CGI-BIN, not supported |
|
Using
servlet |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Emulation of 4GL UI in HTML
(menu, forms...) |
Planned |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Adobe Acrobat (PDF) report
generation |
Both
built-in and via transformation (LogicalReports) |
|
|
Via Jasper Reports |
Via XML Publication System |
Via separate report
transformation tool |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Automatic HTML reports formatting |
|
|
|
? |
|
Limited |
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
|
|
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| Can run as CGI in web servers |
|
|
Not
supported |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
|
|
| Can compile as Apache module |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| P-code compiler |
Perl-Parrott / Native (Alpha) |
|
|
Java Byte-code |
|
|
|
|
|
? |
Using i4GL compiler |
Java |
Java |
|
| C# generation |
In works |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Java generation |
In works |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
| Perl-code generation |
(Beta) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| COBOL generation |
|
|
|
iSeries & zSeries only |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C-code generation |
|
|
|
|
No longer supported |
? No longer supported |
|
|
|
? |
Using i4GL compiler |
|
|
|
| Image query and processing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| XML mapping to/from 4GL arrays |
|
|
|
? |
|
From, but not to |
Exchange format for ThinStructure |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Compiler generates resources
(metrics, tables used, functions declared,...) map information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| XML parsing and output support |
IksEmEl,
SXML and native |
|
|
|
Output only - Separate C/S reporting tool, can
take output from 4gl PRINT |
|
|
|
? |
? |
? |
Java |
Java |
|
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| IM support |
Jabber
(and most proprietary protocols via Jabber gateways) |
|
|
Via Java calls |
|
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
|
|
| XML based middleware |
RPC-XML via Jabber |
|
|
Via Java calls |
SOAP in CLI-HTML V3 - not
documented |
SOAP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SMTP/POP3 send/receive
built-in (email) |
no language bindings |
|
|
J2EE libraries, but no language
bindings |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| IPC on Windows - DDE/OLE -
from 4gl code |
|
|
|
|
DDE - not compatible with DDE in
MS Office after Office 98 release. |
? |
Client have access to Active X
which is OLE based - but not from 4gl code. |
DDE |
|
? |
OLE |
|
|
|
| App partitioning - Middleware |
Sun RPC,CORBA(Alpha),IBM MQ and Jabber (JAM) |
|
|
Via Java calls |
|
|
|
|
|
? |
Cobra, DCE, RPC |
Java |
Java |
|
| Role separation |
n-tier |
|
3-tier |
? |
3-tier |
3-tier |
3-tier |
|
|
? |
? |
Java |
Java |
|
| Platform / OS support |
All with GNU C |
All with GNU C |
UNIX, Many |
Windows, Linux, iSeries, zSeries,
others planned |
Many |
Many |
Limited |
Windows only |
|
? |
? |
All with JVM |
All with JVM |
? |
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| Can load database support on
the fly |
|
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
|
| Run-time emulation/translation of Informix
proprietary RDBMS&SQL features on non-Informix databases |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oracle
and others (?) |
|
via separate server ("Multi Database Connectivity") Informix / Oracle / DB/2 |
|
|
? |
|
|
| ODBC drivers support |
|
|
|
Via JDBC/ODBC bridge |
Beta, MS SQL server only |
? |
Alpha, MS SQL server only |
|
|
? |
|
|
Via JDBC bridge |
|
| ODBC manager support |
unixODBC, iODBC, OpenLink,
Windows |
|
|
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Native db support |
PostgreSQL, Informix, others via
config files |
PostgreSQL |
Informix, DB/2 in works |
? |
All supported - many |
All supported - many |
Informix, Oracle |
Informix |
|
Informix, Oracle |
Informix, Oracle, DB/2 |
|
|
Informix, and own SE clone |
| Multiple databases and/or DB systems from one
session |
/
via ODBC only |
|
|
? |
ODI |
ODI |
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
JDBC |
|
| Access to GPL databases |
PG, others via ODBC |
PostgreSQL |
|
? |
PostgreSQL, MySQL (beta, native) |
PostgreSQL, MySQL (with
limitations) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
JDBC |
|
| LDAP support |
|
|
|
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
Java |
|
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| IDE |
CUI (r4gl clone), GUI (Glade)
alpha, integration with jEdit & GWD IDEs |
|
CUI |
WebSphere Studio (Eclipse) |
Not
supported, Java |
Windows
only |
Win only |
|
Integration with MS Visual studio
.NET (option) |
? |
? |
|
|
|
| Debugger |
via C only |
C only |
|
? |
not
supported |
|
C only - UNIX Debug in beta |
|
|
? |
? |
|
|
? |
| Application Generator (from
templates) |
FGLGEN |
|
|
? |
separate
product |
separate product |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Documentation tools |
Doc4GL (Can be used with other
x4GLs too) |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CASE tools |
FGLBLD |
|
|
(Rational?) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| I-4GL 7.2 compatibility |
|
|
|
Converted to EGL, limited |
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
|
|
|
| I-4GL 7.3 compatibility |
|
|
|
Converted to EGL, limited |
|
|
Partial |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|
|
|
| Plexus extensions compatibility |
menu and form handlers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 4Js BDL extensions compatibility |
partial |
|
|
Converted to EGL, limited |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Enhancements to I-4GL language
syntax |
|
|
N/A |
Not x4GL |
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
? |
|
|
N/A |
| OO extensions |
Alpha |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
| Embedded C code |
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
|
? |
? |
? |
|
|
? |
| Reports |
"Logical Reports": text, PDF, XML,
CSV transformations |
text |
text |
Jasper Reports (XML) |
text |
text + PDF/XML via separate
product |
text |
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Key remapping |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
|
|
? |
|
|
| External C code |
|
|
|
call C from 4GL only |
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
? |
|
|
? |
| Back
to top... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aubit |
Hy4gl |
Informix 7.3 |
IBM EGL |
4Js BDL 3.10 /
D4GL
3.10 |
4Js Genero |
Querix |
Plexus XDP AD32 |
Supra-4GL |
Etrus |
SuperNova (1) |
ProData
proBuilder |
ArtInSoft
Freedom |
Infoflex (2) |
| Associative arrays |
|
|
|
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dynamic arrays |
4Js compatible |
|
latest
version only |
Currently not translated |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Testing hooks |
Can be scripted, scripted screen
dumps |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SQL...END SQL blocks for
dialect independent SQL |
|
|
|
|
? |
? |
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Shared library function
calls/Packages invoked on the fly |
|
|
|
? JNI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IN/Exists for 'IF' etc - not
just for use within SQL statements
|
if exists (select * from sometab where company_code=lv_code)
then
error "Company already exists!"
end if |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Multiple concurrent database
connections |
Multiple sessions/USE SESSION
|
|
|
? |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DEFINE constant |
|
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Themable GUI output
|
via gtkrc |
|
|
|
Limited TCL/TK client only |
? |
Some ActiveX based controld on
Win client only |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IMPORT DATATYPE
|
MPZ (large integer support) |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|