[DUG] The BDE API formerly known as the Paradox Engine

[Paul Heinz]

Robert wrote:

> > It's obvious to me that BDE (or IDAPI if you remember it's previous
> > incarnation) 'grew' out of the Paradox Engine API kit that Borland 
> > once sold - I know that since we one of the few companies 
> who appear 
> > to have actually bought a copy!
> >
> >   
> 
> That and the fact that whenever the BDE needs to do some 
> processing it creates temporary Paradox tables :)

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem get treated like
a nail :-)

> > So IDAPI and the BDE are fundamentally crippled by underlying 
> > 'Paradox-isms' (such as Null is the same as Empty string) 
> which have 
> > never been addressed and then ever more layers of code have 
> been piled 
> > on top of these bad foundations in various attempts to fix earlier 
> > badly designed layers that can now never be removed. Cached 
> Updates anyone?
> 
> And the fact the Borland / Imprise / Boralnd / Codegear 
> hasn't put any real dev work into maintaining it in the last 
> 10 (?) years :)

Well, to improve it would probably take skill and talent and lots of
effort. And it probably hard to find a skilled and talented developer
with that big a masochistic streak.  Can you imagine the job av?

"Know C? Like refactoring endless reams of really badly designed code?
Have a really high pain threshhold? -- Call Codegear on
1-800-IHAVENOMOUTHBUTIMUSTSCREAM right now!"

TTFN,
  Paul.