Paradox is a
relational database management systemA Relational Database Management System is a Database Management System that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd...
currently published by Corel Corporation. It was originally released for
DOSDOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is a shorthand term for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions Windows 95, 98, and ME.Related systems...
by Ansa Software, but a Windows version was released by
BorlandBorland Software Corporation is a software company headquartered in Austin, Texas.It is a Micro Focus company. It was founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad and Philippe Kahn....
in 1992.
Paradox for DOS
Paradox for DOS was a
relational database management systemA Relational Database Management System is a Database Management System that is based on the relational model as introduced by E. F. Codd...
originally written by Richard Schwartz and Robert Shostak, and released by their company Ansa Software in 1985. In September 1987, Borland purchased Ansa Software, including their Paradox/DOS 2.0 software. Notable classic versions were 3.5 and 4.5. Versions up to 3.5 were evolutions from 1.0. Version 4.0 and 4.5 were retooled in the Borland C++ windowing toolkit and used a different extended memory access scheme.
Paradox/DOS was a successful DOS-based database of the late eighties and early nineties. At that time,
dBasedBase II was the first widely used database management system for microcomputers, published by Ashton-Tate for CP/M, and later on the Apple II, Apple Macintosh, UNIX, VMS, and IBM PC under DOS where it and its successors dBase III and dBase IV became one of the best-selling software titles for a...
and its
xBasexBase is the generic term for all programming languages that derive from the original dBASE programming language and database formats. These are sometimes informally known as dBASE "clones"...
clones (
Foxpro' has two meanings:* Visual FoxPro - an object-oriented programming language and RDBMS, published by Microsoft, for Microsoft Windows.* FoxPro 2 - a text-based procedural programming language and DBMS, originally published by Fox Software and later by Microsoft, for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows,...
,
Clipper programming languageClipper is a computer programming language that is used to create software programs that originally operated primarily under DOS. Although it is a powerful general-purpose programming language, it was primarily used to create database/business programs....
) dominated the market. Other notable competitors were
ClarionClarion is a commercial, 4GL, object-oriented, programming language and Integrated Development Environment from SoftVelocity used to program database applications...
,
DataEaseDataEase is a rapid application development tool for developing relationally-organized, data-intensive software applications for personal computers. DataEase was created in the early 1980s by software developers Arun Gupta and Joseph Busch. The first version of the software was released in 1981 by...
,
R:BaseR:BASE was the first relational database program for the PC. Created by Wayne Erickson in 1982, the original R:Base was called MicroRIM...
, and
DataflexDataFlex originated in around 1980 as a database programming language, self-described as an applications development database. It is a relatively early example of a fully fledged and commercially used fourth-generation programming language...
.
The features that distinguished Paradox/DOS were:
- a visual Query By Example
Query by Example is a database query language for relational databases. It was devised by Moshé M. Zloof at IBM Research during the mid 1970s, in parallel to the development of SQL. It is the first graphical query language, using visual tables where the user would enter commands, example elements...
implementation that was supported by an AI engine.
- effective use of memory (conventional as well as extended / expanded) - caching data tables and particularly, indexes which caused Paradox to execute tasks very quickly in contrast to the explicit skills required for xBase performance optimisation.
- an innovative programming language the Paradox Application Language (PAL) that was readable, powerful, and could be recorded from keyboard actions (rather like Lotus 1-2-3
Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet program from Lotus Software . It was the IBM PC's first "killer application"; its huge popularity in the mid-1980s contributed significantly to the success of the IBM PC in the corporate environment....
macro recording).
- Lotus-like text menus and windows which was the native interface (in contrast to dBase which had a command line interface on top of which cumbersome menus were layered).
- Particularly in Paradox 1.0 and 2.0, the user and programming manuals won readability
- In reading, writing and typography :Readability is defined as reading ease, especially as it results from a writing style. Extensive research has shown that easy-reading text improves comprehension, retention, reading speed, and reading persistence...
awards - they were copiously illustrated, well laid out and explanations were written in common English. In contrast, xBase and other manuals were text heavy, sometimes even typed in plain Courier with no attempt at professional page layout.
Paradox for Windows
Paradox for Windows was a distinctly different product produced by a different team of programmers. Although key features of the DOS product, the
QBEQuery by Example is a database query language for relational databases. It was devised by Moshé M. Zloof at IBM Research during the mid 1970s, in parallel to the development of SQL. It is the first graphical query language, using visual tables where the user would enter commands, example elements...
and the database engine, were ports keeping the DOS code, there was a major break in compatibility from PAL to ObjectPAL and in the shift to a GUI design metaphor for Forms and Reports. The
ObjectPALObjectPAL is short for Object-Oriented Paradox Application Language, which is the programming language used by the Borland Paradox database application ....
changes were controversial but forced since PAL was based on keystroke recording actions that had no equivalent in Windows. An
object-based languageIn a technical sense, the term "object-based language" may be used to describe any programming language that is based on the idea of encapsulating state and operations inside "objects". Object-based languages need not support inheritance or subtyping, but those that do are also said to be...
based on ideas from
HypercardHyperCard is an application program created by Bill Atkinson for Apple Computer, Inc. that was among the first successful hypermedia systems before the World Wide Web. It combines database capabilities with a graphical, flexible, user-modifiable interface...
was used in place of keystroke recording. The Forms and Reports designers used device independent scaling including ability to work in zoomed mode for detailed layout. The mouse right-click was used for access to Forms and Reports properties, inspired by the
Xerox AltoThe Xerox Alto was an early personal computer developed at Xerox PARC in 1973. It was the first computer to use the desktop metaphor and graphical user interface ....
and
SmalltalkSmalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed, reflective programming language. Smalltalk was created as the language to underpin the "new world" of computing exemplified by "human–computer symbiosis." It was designed and created in part for educational use, more so for constructionist...
, in a way now almost universal to Windows programs. The ObjectPAL was (like Hypercard) associated with the visual objects - also revealed by right click. Property inspection and layout tools could be "pinned up" to stay on screen, an idea borrowed from the
NeXTNext, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...
and now fairly widely adopted in Windows.
For approximately the first year of development the object-oriented code was written in C aided by macros, until
Turbo C++Turbo C++ was a C++ compiler and integrated development environment originally from Borland. Most recently it was distributed by Embarcadero Technologies, which acquired all of Borland's compiler tools with the purchase of its CodeGear division in 2008...
was available at which point the remaining parts of the code were written in C++. The product manager up until shipping version 1.0 was Joe Duncan. The development and QA team totaled about 30 people.
Both Paradox for Windows and Quattro Pro for Windows, a closely related project, started development using beta versions of Windows 3.0, in the spring of 1990. Paradox/Windows ended up delayed about a year beyond its original plan, shipping in early 1993.
The reasons were many, but
not entirely surprising for a major rewriteA 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...
, in an
OO languageThis is a list of object-oriented programming languages.-Languages with object-oriented features:*ABAP*Ada 95*AmigaE**PortablE*BETA*Blue*Boo*C++*C#*COBOL*Cobra*ColdFusion*Common Lisp*COOL*CorbaScript*Clarion*CLU*Curl*D*Delphi...
with new tools, shifting to a GUI paradigm, on what was essentially a first version operating system. Still it was a big problem for the company and Microsoft managed to ship Access a couple of months ahead of Paradox for Windows, a major marketing win to Microsoft.
In 1990 Borland also started work on an internal dBASE clone for both DOS and Windows, written in assembler, which was planned to ship in 1992. By early 1992 it became clear that
Ashton-TateAshton-Tate was a US based software company best known for developing the popular dBASE database application. Ashton-Tate grew from a small garage-based company to become a multinational corporation with software development centers spread across the United States and Europe...
was in difficulties on developing Windows versions of their products and so Borland switched plans, instead acquiring the company and anointing their internal project as the official successor. Part of the Ashton-Tate acquisition was the
InterbaseInterBase is a relational database management system currently developed and marketed by Embarcadero Technologies. InterBase is distinguished from other DBMSs by its small footprint, close to zero administration requirements, and multi-generational architecture...
database and it was decided that Paradox/W should be able to work with Interbase as well as the Paradox engine and this led to the creation of an IDAPI engine based around Interbase.
The acquisition also shifted focus. Paradox had historically competed against dBASE in some markets, and Paradox/W originally was designed to improve the competitive position in the developer-oriented market. After dBASE was acquired this was no longer desirable and emphasis shifted towards an ease-of-use market. However the product could not be changed to match the emphasis (this occurred in later releases) at that late stage, making the product somewhat over complex for the entry level market.
Microsoft's first desktop database program,
Microsoft AccessMicrosoft 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...
, did a good job of addressing that same market and got there first when it debuted at COMDEX November 1992. In response to Borland's acquisition of Ashton-Tate, Microsoft acquired FoxPro and incorporated its Rushmore technology into the Access Jet Engine to significantly improve its performance.
Microsoft Access offered many features that were easier for end users and developers to implement, including a more intuitive query interface using Windows links between fields rather than the Paradox text tagging of fields in QBE, and the Access Basic programming language which was more similar to PAL than Object PAL. Access and Paradox significantly differed in the way they presented results from queries. Access showed records before a query was completed and without the overhead of creating an output table. Paradox showed the results only after all the records were retrieved and an ANSWER table created. This performance difference was significant for large datasets and negatively impacted Paradox/W.
Taking a book out of Borland's low price Quattro Pro spreadsheet debut against Microsoft Excel,
Microsoft Access debuted with a $99 price. This undercut the traditional
DBMSA Database Management System is a set of computer programs that controls the creation, maintenance, and the use of the database in a computer platform or of an organization and its end users. It allows organizations to place control of organization-wide database development in the hands of...
prices of Paradox DOS, Paradox Windows, and dBase of around $799, which negatively impacted Borland more than any other firm.
The Borland management team with its 85% market share of the desktop database market severely underestimated the threat of Microsoft and Microsoft Access. Still, Paradox/W sold well for a while. Meanwhile, Borland was going through some serious problems caused by the Ashton-Tate acquisition. Many product lines were discontinued, corporate reorganization and consolidation was painful, and even worse, the internal dBASE project at the center of the acquisition rationale was eventually cancelled for technical reasons leaving Borland with a collapse in revenues and a serious need to develop the missing dBASE for Windows in a hurry. Borland lost the strength to fight the multiple marketing battles it needed for its range of products. Paradox was minimally marketed to the developers since the company decided it would hold out for a replacement of dBASE, which eventually came out in 1994, too late for the company.
To make matters worse, while the dBASE for DOS clones (FoxBase and Clipper) copied dBASE closely, the Windows versions of these products were developed without an existing dBASE for Windows model. One of dBASE for DOS's strengths was multi-vendor support and this was lost in the various Windows xBase products. Borland's Visual dBASE for Windows couldn't run Microsoft's Foxbase for Windows programs and vice verse.Faced with a fragmented market and the need to rewrite programs to take advantage of Windows, there was little incentive for xBase users to stay loyal to the product they'd used for DOS.
In 1995, Microsoft bundled Access into their
Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Office is an office suite of interrelated desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Microsoft Office was introduced by Microsoft in 1989 for Mac OS, with a version for Windows in 1990...
Professional Suite with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This effectively killed the end-user desktop database market for standalone products.
Despite solid follow-on versions with improvements to usability for entry-level users, Paradox faded from the market. It was included in the sale of Borland products to WordPerfect, which were in turn resold as WordPerfect got into financial products, and at the current time of writing Paradox for Windows, WordPerfect and Quattro Pro for Windows are all owned by Corel and sold as part of their office suite. dBASE for Windows came out too late to be a significant player in the Windows market, most dBASE programmers by then had migrated to Microsoft FoxBASE, a very similar database tool. Borland itself retained the Interbase/IDAPI server and focused efforts on its Delphi tools which over the years gave it an influential but small part of the data-oriented developer market.
Corel Paradox
Corel acquired certain rights to develop and market Paradox in the mid-90's and released Corel Paradox 8 in 1997. It also bundled Paradox in the professional version of its
WordPerfect OfficeWordPerfect Office is an office suite developed by Corel Corporation. As of April 2008, the latest version is WordPerfect Office X4 , which is available in various editions, including Standard, Professional, Home & Student and Family Pack Edition...
suite. It has released Office Professional Edition versions 9, 10, 11, 12, X3 and X4. The latest version of Paradox released by Corel is 11.0.0.663 which is bundled with X4 Service Pack 1.
Paradox Users
There is a strong Paradox user base, mainly centered around the
Paradox Community and its associated newsgroups. Many feel let down by Borland and Corel because they believe that Paradox is superior to all the other desktop DBMSes around.
Although there are many fans of ObjectPAL, the programming language for Paradox/Windows, PAL/DOS scripts could not easily be migrated; the object and event models were completely different forcing developers using PAL to completely rewrite their database applications.
External links