IS powerbuilder 6.0 still a viable development tool? 1

[greenlea]

I have powerbuilder 6.0 and I would like to know if it is still a viable option for developing applications that will connect to MS Access databases. Any and all responses would be greatly appreciated.

 

[xsyguy]

Sybase no longer supports PowerBuilder 6 (if fact, they technically no longer support PowerBuilder 7 since PowerBuilder 9 was released). So based on that alone, I would have to say “No”. As a practical matter however, if you already have PowerBuilder 6, its still not a bad development tool depending on a lot of “ifs”.

- IF the applications you are developing are for internal use only
- IF you do not anticipate upgrading your hardware, OS, or the version of MS Access in the near future
- IF you plan on developing only client/server applications (as opposed to multi-tier or web-based apps) AND
- IF you do not plan to use PowerBuilder for future development

If any of the above conditions are not true, I would strongly suggest upgrading to at least PowerBuilder 8 and preferably PowerBuilder 9. (Sybase will technically stop supporting PowerBuilder 8 when PowerBuilder 10 is released sometime later this year or early next year). Or, If you do not plan to use PowerBuilder going forward, I suggest you cut the cord now because if you run into compatibility problems between your new application and any new hardware or software, Sybase will most likely not help you unless you upgrade to a currently supported version of PowerBuilder.

 

[pgaec]

PB 6.5 is a stable version and I find it more convenient than PB 9.0 [especially the layout]