Superbase database
Encyclopedia
Superbase is an end-user desktop database
program that started on the Commodore PET
and was ported from that to various operating system
s over the course of more than 20 years. It also has generally included a programming language
to automate database-oriented tasks, and with later versions included WYSIWYG
form and report designers as well as more sophisticated programming capabilities.
to run on a Windows computer.
Precision Software, a UK
-based company, was the original creator of the product Superbase. Superbase was and still is used by a large number of people on various platforms. It was often used only as an end-user database
but a very large number of applications were built throughout industry, government, and academia and these were often of significant complexity. Some of these applications continue in use to the current day, mostly in small businesses.
The initial versions were text mode only, but with the release of the Amiga
version, a completely new paradigm for accessing databases was created. Superbase was the first product to use the now common VCR control panel for browsing through records. It also provided a number of different media formats that it directly supported, including images, sounds, and video. Superbase was often referred to as the multimedia database in early years, when such features were uncommon. Amiga version also featured an internal language and the capability to generate front end "masks" for queries and reports, years before Microsoft Access
.
This version was a huge success and that resulted in a version being created for a number of platforms using the same approach. Eventually a Microsoft Windows
version was released and a couple of years later the company was sold by its founders to Software Publishing Corporation
. SPC sold off the non-Windows versions of the product and after releasing version 2 and in the late alpha stages of version 3, sold the product to a company called Computer Concepts Corporation.
This relatively unknown company created a subsidiary called Superbase, Inc. and after finishing off the late stage alpha of version 3 and launching it as Superbase 95, eventually appeared to have lost interest in the product, at which point it was bought by a small group of former customers and brought back to the UK. This company, Superbase Developers plc, continued to extend and support the product through Superbase Classic.
A new, next-generation rewrite
of the product inititially called Superbase Next Generation (SBNG) which included a new object oriented programming language called SIMPOL) was begun in 1999-2000. It had primarily been an alpha product; although it was billed as a beta release in 2005 with promises that a true release would be around the corner.
In 2006, SIMPOL was sold to RealBasics Ltd which was later renamed Simpol Ltd (www.simpol.com).
In April 2009 this company launched SIMPOL Professional, which is the next generation product, as a cross-platform language and database tool set.
In February 2009, it was announced that Superbase Developers plc was in liquidation.
In March 2010 Papatuo Holdings Ltd. purchased the Superbase family of products from the official receivers of Superbase Developers plc.http://www.superbase.com/
/MRP
packages, business information systems, production control systems, and similar complex products down to very basic membership list or contact management systems.
database engine and its own powerful dialect of BASIC
, as well as sophisticated forms and report engines. It also includes powerful support for acting as the front-end for one or more SQL
databases. Its biggest drawback is the fact that it was written to the 16-bit Windows
API and was not easily portable to the 32-bit version. The rewritten version is intended to cure that and to make the package even easier to use and more powerful.
From a casual programmer's perspective, the fact that the database is not based on SQL is a significant advantage, since the level of complexity is far less and it is easier for the user to grasp the concepts of how to manage and traverse the database.
There are numerous powerful features in the product, a few of them are:
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
program that started on the Commodore PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
and was ported from that to various operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s over the course of more than 20 years. It also has generally included a programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
to automate database-oriented tasks, and with later versions included WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. The term is used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed onscreen during editing appears in a form closely corresponding to its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product...
form and report designers as well as more sophisticated programming capabilities.
History
It was originally created in 1984 by Precision Software for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. In 1989, it was the first database management systemDatabase management system
A database management system is a software package with computer programs that control the creation, maintenance, and use of a database. It allows organizations to conveniently develop databases for various applications by database administrators and other specialists. A database is an integrated...
to run on a Windows computer.
Precision Software, a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based company, was the original creator of the product Superbase. Superbase was and still is used by a large number of people on various platforms. It was often used only as an end-user database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
but a very large number of applications were built throughout industry, government, and academia and these were often of significant complexity. Some of these applications continue in use to the current day, mostly in small businesses.
The initial versions were text mode only, but with the release of the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
version, a completely new paradigm for accessing databases was created. Superbase was the first product to use the now common VCR control panel for browsing through records. It also provided a number of different media formats that it directly supported, including images, sounds, and video. Superbase was often referred to as the multimedia database in early years, when such features were uncommon. Amiga version also featured an internal language and the capability to generate front end "masks" for queries and reports, years before Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a relational database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of...
.
This version was a huge success and that resulted in a version being created for a number of platforms using the same approach. Eventually a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version was released and a couple of years later the company was sold by its founders to Software Publishing Corporation
Software Publishing Corporation
Software Publishing Corporation was a Mountain View, California-based manufacturer of business software, best known for its pioneering Harvard Graphics presentation package....
. SPC sold off the non-Windows versions of the product and after releasing version 2 and in the late alpha stages of version 3, sold the product to a company called Computer Concepts Corporation.
This relatively unknown company created a subsidiary called Superbase, Inc. and after finishing off the late stage alpha of version 3 and launching it as Superbase 95, eventually appeared to have lost interest in the product, at which point it was bought by a small group of former customers and brought back to the UK. This company, Superbase Developers plc, continued to extend and support the product through Superbase Classic.
A new, next-generation rewrite
Rewrite (programming)
A rewrite in computer programming is the act or result of re-implementing a large portion of existing functionality without re-use of its source code. When the rewrite is not using existing code at all, it is common to speak of a rewrite from scratch...
of the product inititially called Superbase Next Generation (SBNG) which included a new object oriented programming language called SIMPOL) was begun in 1999-2000. It had primarily been an alpha product; although it was billed as a beta release in 2005 with promises that a true release would be around the corner.
In 2006, SIMPOL was sold to RealBasics Ltd which was later renamed Simpol Ltd (www.simpol.com).
In April 2009 this company launched SIMPOL Professional, which is the next generation product, as a cross-platform language and database tool set.
In February 2009, it was announced that Superbase Developers plc was in liquidation.
In March 2010 Papatuo Holdings Ltd. purchased the Superbase family of products from the official receivers of Superbase Developers plc.http://www.superbase.com/
Uses
Superbase has been used for very basic end-user tasks, but its real strength lies in the ability of relatively untrained programmers to create complex applications. These are typically built up over time as need arises. The types of applications run the gamut from accounting systems, ERPEnterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
/MRP
MRP
The initialism MRP or M.R.P. can stand for many things:Business, economics and management* Manufacturer's recommended price* Manufacturing resource planning * Marginal Revenue Product, see Marginal revenue productivity theory of wages...
packages, business information systems, production control systems, and similar complex products down to very basic membership list or contact management systems.
Features
It contains a high-speed versatile ISAMISAM
ISAM stands for Indexed Sequential Access Method, a method for indexing data for fast retrieval. ISAM was originally developed by IBM for mainframe computers...
database engine and its own powerful dialect of BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
, as well as sophisticated forms and report engines. It also includes powerful support for acting as the front-end for one or more SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
databases. Its biggest drawback is the fact that it was written to the 16-bit Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
API and was not easily portable to the 32-bit version. The rewritten version is intended to cure that and to make the package even easier to use and more powerful.
From a casual programmer's perspective, the fact that the database is not based on SQL is a significant advantage, since the level of complexity is far less and it is easier for the user to grasp the concepts of how to manage and traverse the database.
There are numerous powerful features in the product, a few of them are:
- Virtual Database Tables — these only exist in memory
- Virtual Database Columns — these are calculated at access time
- Peer-to-peer Client/Server (PPCS) — this technology allows any version of Superbase to act as either a database server, a client, or both. The database tables are accessed via UDP/IP.
- Small footprint — Superbase runs on every version of WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
except the 64-bit versions and requires only a minimum of 6 MB of system RAMRam-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
.
Versions
- 1983 Superbase 64 for the Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
- 1983 Superbase 700 for the Commodore CBM-IICommodore CBM-IIThe Commodore CBM-II series was a short-lived range of 8-bit personal computers from Commodore Business Machines , intended as a follow-on to the Commodore PET series, released in 1982.-Technical description:...
- 1985 Superbase for the AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
- 1985 Superbase 128 for the Commodore 128Commodore 128The Commodore 128 home/personal computer was the last 8-bit machine commercially released by Commodore Business Machines...
- 1986 Superbase for the Atari STAtari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
- 1987 Superbase for GEMGraphical Environment ManagerGEM was a windowing system created by Digital Research, Inc. for use with the CP/M operating system on the Intel 8088 and Motorola 68000 microprocessors...
on the PCIBM PCThe IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981... - 1988 Superbase 4 version 1.0 for WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
- 1991 Superbase 4 version 1.31 for Windows
- 1991 Superbase 4 version 1.31 for Amiga
- 1992 Superbase version 2.0 for Windows
- 1994 Superbase 95 (version 3.0) for Windows
- 1997 Superbase version 3.2 for Windows
- 1998 Superbase version 3.5 for Windows
- 1999 Superbase version 3.6i for Windows
- 2000 SuperBase 4 Pro version 1.36 for Amiga
- 2001 Superbase 2001 for Windows
- 2003 Superbase Classic for Windows