Author Topic: DBExpert/Mesa?  (Read 10854 times)

mclaren

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DBExpert/Mesa?
« on: October 12, 2014, 07:27:46 pm »
Hi

I just found the forum again. The last time I tried to log in it was shut down. I'm glad you're back!
I have been running DBExpert, Mesa2, and Describe on my OS/2(eCS) notebook for many years. Is there any development going on with any of those applications. They are all much simpler to use than anything I have found for that other so-called operating system (W------).

Dennis

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2014, 08:42:40 pm »
Simple answer, no. 

There is a port of OpenOffice but it is rather resource hungry and much slower than those native applications.  In fact there are times that I wish my company could afford to employ two or three OS/2 programmers just to be able to get simple up to date native word-processor and spreadsheet programs but I can't see that happening in the near future - the accountant wouldn't allow it because we couldn't justify the cost.

Fr4nk

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2014, 10:51:36 pm »
Hey Denis,

well about Mesa: I wrote some add-ons years ago.

http://www.subsys.de/SmartPak/download/spak11.zip

I think Mesa is close to be a perfect program as long as you don't need an integrated office solution. I still use it for all my things and I think it is the best spread sheet around. Actually I hate all kind of big office suites and blown applications from the deep of my heart since Word 2.0 . And Mesa still works in latest eCS thats what i like on OS2 and eCS (--> continuity), it has a very nice performance and I know only one single bug. It is a nice piece of old school high quality software today don't be created anymore - one of the reasons I still use eCS.

Describe is a little bit outdated, it lacks some features and I think it was always a little bit crazy to use (but it was powerful anyway). Personally I work a lot with editors and plain text since some years and short before my text is going to be printed or PDF'ed I set it in Maul DTP (which has some bugs but I'm able to handle these).
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 10:53:49 pm by Fr4nk »

Martin Iturbide

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2014, 11:16:26 pm »
Hi Dennis

Randell S. Flint was the owner of Sundial and the one that produced DBExpert. He passed away on October 5, 2007.
I contacted his wife to see if the source code can be released and she said that there was some interest on open sourcing, but that will happen in the long term future, but I was not contacted back. After that I was contacted by "a guy" that told me to stop asking for this since it is a sensitive topic for his wife. He told me that my efforts will not get me close to open sourcing this software, but he didn't specify if he had a plan.

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Martin Iturbide
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Fr4nk

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2014, 08:22:18 am »
Maybe it is a problem that Mesa includes licensed code from "Athena Design", and the name itself Mesa is used under license. It could be a lot of effort to check the license or even impossible to get in contact with Athena (I don't know).  A solution would be if it will not be published as open source but transfered to a group of developers. or a community and there it could be maintained and developed.

A good example was the Pronews usenet reader, which turned into charity ware - some guys took the code over and made a very good job to keep it running and extend it.

More important than the license is to keep it alive and actually I wouldn't have a problem even with commercial software if its worth.

But please no club membership like PMMail.

@Martin, maybe you could ask again since the last call is some time ago.


mclaren

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2014, 01:43:00 am »
Martin

I know Randell Flint died in 2007. He was helping me write some queries & macros for DBExpert. His wife, Carla, called me and told me the bad news. I still haven't found a better and simpler database application.
Maybe Carla got remarried to the "guy" who contacted you. Or, if it wasn't really a guy, maybe it was Carla? I know Carla & Randell were very happy together.
Anyway, I will continue to use OS/2/eCS, DBExpert, Mesa2, & Describe. I plan to get a new computer next year and hope to be able to put an eCS partition on the HDD.

Dennis

Martin Iturbide

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2014, 04:20:31 am »
the "guy"

Hi, the "guy" is just someone I don't want to name (remain anonymous), but he do not have a direct relation with Carla (I guess).  He just know that this issue is very sensitive for her.

My issue is that I don't want to distress a woman because of my open source campaign and I don't want to insist too much. I will talk some guys at WarpStock to see if something can be done

Regards
« Last Edit: October 14, 2014, 04:22:39 am by Martin Iturbide »
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rcrmonte3

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2015, 07:32:54 pm »
Martin

Did you learn anything about Dbexpert/Mesa at Warpstock?

Dennis

the "guy"

Hi, the "guy" is just someone I don't want to name (remain anonymous), but he do not have a direct relation with Carla (I guess).  He just know that this issue is very sensitive for her.

My issue is that I don't want to distress a woman because of my open source campaign and I don't want to insist too much. I will talk some guys at WarpStock to see if something can be done

Regards

Martin Iturbide

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2015, 09:43:06 pm »
Sorry Dennis.

I didn't bring that topic to Warpstock. I didn't want to continue to contact Randell's wife (Carla) about this subject.  I was flamed hard about this topic and I didn't want to continue.

I'm sorry because this good software will remain abandonware for us.

Regards
Martin Iturbide
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guzzi

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2015, 03:23:48 am »

But please no club membership like PMMail.


PMMail is licenced by VOICE. Since VOICE no longer has members, due to it now being a Dutch Foundation, the PMMail licence requirements will be changed. Pending agreement by the VOICE board, it will become donation ware. Basically, what that means is you can get a licence by donating to VOICE. Details will be made public once the board has agreed on the matter. This is a matter of weeks, not months)

rcrmonte3

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Re: DBExpert/Mesa?
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2015, 02:03:32 pm »

Thanks, Martin.
 I agree. If Carla is still upset , I wouldn't want to upset her, either. I can understand her being upset--she found him.

Sorry Dennis.

I didn't bring that topic to Warpstock. I didn't want to continue to contact Randell's wife (Carla) about this subject.  I was flamed hard about this topic and I didn't want to continue.

I'm sorry because this good software will remain abandonware for us.

Regards