UniVerse Objects is an extension of Visual Basic which lets
VB interface with a UniVerse RDBMS Environment
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UniVerse Objects is just one of several products
on the market which allow Microsoft Visual Basic
or another programming language to interpret
Pick/MultiValue databases. UniVerse Objects
happens to be the package that this page
author is most familiar with, so that is what will
be primarily discussed here. Links are provided
to other products that may or may not compare
favorably to UniVerse Objects.
UniVerse Objects offers a seamless way to integrate
legacy Pick Applications into a Windows Desktop
Environment. It is available in Visual Basic,
Visual C++, Power Builder and Delphi versions.
The Pick Programmer, armed with at least some
knowledge of one of the aforementioned development
tools should find it relatively easy to generate
powerful Windows applications that reference a
Pick/MultiValue DB as its datasource.
Keep in mind, that once a programmer embraces
UniVerse Objects as the bridge between Windows
and Pick, s/he becomes locked into the UniVerse
platform. Other tools such as Visual Pick,
Wintegrate and WinLink from ViaDuct offer
a platform neutrality which may be more desirable
in the longterm. It must be determined by the
individual shop's long term goals whether
it is practical to take that risk of
eventual retooling. The recent news that IBM
has taken over Informix complicates the equation.
Keep in mind that Informix only recently had taken
over Ardent, which had merged with Vmark, the
original marketers of UniVerse. Are we betting
on UniVerse remaining a viable player in the Pick
marketplace?
So with no further ado, here is the competition: