Sue Dunnell

There's no denying it. We're living in an n-tier world, especially since the release of PowerBuilder 7.0 and the Web DataWindow. It's almost counterintuitively caused many PB developers to ask themselves questions like: "What am I going to do with my client/server PowerBuilder skills? Where is the market going? Do I have to learn Java and JavaScript? Or C++? Or VB and VBScript?" As the manager at Sybase most immediately responsible for the future of PowerBuilder, I'm going to offer some clear-cut answers to these questions. Future Lives, Future Livings: Careers for PowerBuilder Developers There are three distinct, yet interrelated, career paths available to PowerBuilder developers: Creating and maintaining client/server PowerBuilder applications Migrating your PowerBuilder code to the Web, and... Don't look now - you're a Web developer! With these three rich career pa... (more)

PB 8-RAD Everywhere

The launch of PowerBuilder 8 coincides with the 10 year anniversary of the product. Sybase focused on three major areas in this release - the Web, EAServer integration, and n-tier development and productivity. Sybase has introduced a host of new features that speed up the development of client/server applications and provide some significant capabilities for next generation application development. The following is a Q & A with the PowerBuilder product manager, Sue Dunnell, and the editors of PBDJ. Q: Toward whom is this release oriented? A: This release was designed with the nee... (more)

It's Time for Pre-8.0 Users to Update Their PowerBuilder Version

Are you a long-time PowerBuilder user who's still developing on an early version such as 5.x or 6.x? If so, now is the perfect time to move to PowerBuilder 9.0 for two reasons: 1.  You'll get the latest version of the industry's leading RAD environment with new client/server, Web, and distributed functionality. 2.  You'll be on a supported version of PowerBuilder. Engineering support for PowerBuilder 5.x and 6.x is no longer offered, and Sybase has announced the end of engineering support for all versions of PowerBuilder 7.x effective July 15, 2003. Update to PowerBuilder 9.0 Pow... (more)

PowerBuilder Developer's Journal: Legacy Isn't a Dirty Word

People always like the shiny and new, regardless of whether it's gadgets, clothes, cars, or technology. It's exciting to get something new; we feel good about ourselves, like we're a part of an elite group, ahead of the curve, "in the know." Yet "buyer's remorse" is also a well-known phenomenon because many purchases end up being not quite what we expected. That new gadget may have one or two slick features, but some core functionality is missing or clunky to use, functionality that worked really well in your old device. And, while the slick new features may be fun and have a cer... (more)

PowerBuilder 10.5 Release Overview

PowerBuilder 10.5 is almost ready, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions about what's in the release and how it can make your job easier. You are also probably wondering why it's called "10.5," how it fits in with our roadmap for PowerBuilder, and what our plans are for tools in general, especially in light of the news that Borland is selling off its IDE product set. I will attempt to answer those questions and more in this update on the latest release. Let's address these items in reverse, starting with what is probably on everyone's mind - Borland's recent announcement to d... (more)