| When we are asked "What is PRO-IV"
we answer that "PRO-IV is a highly productive language for developing business
applications which are transportable across a wide variety of computers". Calling
PRO-IV a fourth generation language usually results in a wry smile at least! The hype of the FOURTH GENERATION LANGUAGE over the last few years has led to a
cynical reaction on the part of the hardened I.T. professional. The products which have
been sold have often been suitable for small demonstration projects only, required vast
amounts of computer resource, been tied to a specific architecture or esoteric database,
or lacked the power and flexibility to build a whole application without resorting to
traditional languages like COBOL. PRO-IV is a fourth generation language for building real
systems!
...and it has been proven in practice!
Right from the start, PRO-IV enables I.T. professionals to develop
applications without traditional programming, code generation, batch compilation,
inefficient interpreters or the need to build a separate support environment for each
application. Users don't need to use or have expertise in such computer languages as
COBOL, FORTRAN, and BASIC since PRO-IV allows real production systems to be developed
without any recourse to third generation languages! Additionally, developers are shielded
from the technicalities of the operating system, allowing them to concentrate on the
creation of the application solution. They can move between different machine environments
with minimal re-training, and the solutions they build can be utilised on the appropriate
hardware. |
PRO-IV develops menus, screens, reports,
updates, system security, and logic operations - all within a single integrated
environment. Furthermore, it can do all this in considerably less time than required when
using conventional methods. This improvement in productivity in
application development (and, more importantly in maintenance) produces real savings that
show up on the bottom line.
There is a continuing need for the capability to develop business
applications quickly and efficiently. And to modify them when the problems change.
Today there is a great emphasis on understanding what the user wants,
developing the correct solutions and applying them to help meet the business need in a
timely fashion.
The key to a fourth-generation environment is productivity, in both
development and maintenance. Any fourth generation environment must be able to deliver
real improvements in productivity, but not at the cost of maintainability nor performance.
Fourth generation languages must be measured by the standards of all other computer
languages... can they do the job required ? Our experience as a software house shows that
PRO-IV can `do the job' in the real world - not just in the demonstration environment ! |