IBM Informix Genero
Informix Genero offers organizations with existing “green screen” 4GL applications a cost-effective means of modernizing those applications and protecting existing investments.
Depending on the amount of time and resources at your disposal, you can adopt one of two approaches:
- Recompile and go. Simply recompile the existing application with Informix Genero and make minor tweaks to the user interface. Adopt this approach if you need to move your code from a character-based environment to a graphical environment in a matter of weeks.
- Add GUI capabilities. Unleash the full power of Informix Genero in your 4GL code. Create a Web 2.0 experience by adding drag-and-drop capabilities, web services, business graphics and browser styles for maximum effect with a minimum of disruption. You can complete the transformation in a few months.
Figure 1:
Figure 1: The Informix Genero architecture supports a flexible, secure, scalable deployment
When modernizing older 4GL applications, Informix Genero offers a new way to render screen forms by representing them logically as an XML tree. This method enables the abstraction of the business logic from the physical implementation of the client technology. As a result, applications can execute across multiple client technologies and fully exploit the local widget set, whether it is Windows, Linux, HTML or Java. One user might work in a Windows environment and a second might employ a browser, while a third uses a Linux or Yamaha Motif workstation.
Almost all of the language keywords in Informix Genero are the same as older 4GL, so in many cases, a simple recompilation of your old 4GL source code with Informix Genero will still work. To enhance application reliability and performance, you can use Informix Genero to modify form definition files and some parts of the code. You can reduce the number of forms and the code length, in some cases dramatically. The result will be tighter, more reliable code that executes faster.
Build business services for SOAs
Whether modernizing older 4GL applications or building new ones from scratch, Informix Genero can help you create the business services required for today’s SOAs. Informix Genero facilitates effective communication among heterogeneous software assets, which is essential for creating a successful SOA. Developers work seamlessly from within the language without having to learn the plethora of communications APIs and protocols that web services entail.
- Facilitate interoperation with existing software: Informix Genero does not lock you into one language or infrastructure. Add to your existing applications and infrastructure, rather than ripping and replacing them. Integrate separate applications by accessing multiple databases simultaneously with facilities built directly into the language.
- Deploy distributed applications over the Internet and across firewalls: Informix Genero offers many ways to build distributed applications. Leverage web services specifically designed to work over the Internet and across firewalls using the standard HTTP protocol.
