Re: Arguments Against 4D

Hello All,

When I see "reviews" like this, I like to speak with the "reviewers"
face-to-face, with the key decision-makers and key influencers present, and
ask some poignant questions, such as:

(1) You stated 4D is a "bad choice" because it has "table corruptions". So
are you asserting that your recommendation has none, or are you telling me
you are not *aware* of any? Can you quantify how big of a risk or problem
this is in our specific implementation, because it appears that many, many
4D users are NOT experiencing table corruptions. So your assertion is far
from being an accurate "across the board" typification of 4D.

(2) Your argument about "lack of features" in 4D is similar to us reviewing
the ocean of features that 4D *does* have, and then saying your solution is
not recommended for lack of 4D's features.! Simply put, your only statement
in all your conclusions, is that 4D is different from what *you* know best,
and what *you* prefer. For example, your statement that 4D "Does not have
smarter memory management [such as] pinning frequently used objects and
clearing objects not used" is a red herring. 4D's memory management results
in high performance for end users, no maintenance issues to IT staff, and
for our developers, it arguably simplifies coding by allowing 4D to manage
objects in memory automatically, rather than requiring the programmer to
manually code for this, debug it, and maintain this code. So what we have,
in fact, is a very positive characteristic in 4D that you have presented as
a negative. And if you want to get picky, in 4D, you can do exactly what you
describe. For example, if you are working with a BLOB in 4D, a Binary Large
Object, you simply define a BLOB variable, and populate it. It stays in
memory until you clear that BLOB variable, at which point it no longer
consumes memory. 4D can do exactly what you say it can't!

It really does appear that your "reviewer's" bias against 4D is not formed
through independent, objective evaluation, but rather from being unfamiliar
with the tool, and much preferring to stick with what they already know, and
are comfortable with.

I could go on and on. No one product does all things, or is without issues.
Including 4D. But that's where smart programmers step in to devise
solutions, or, simply learn how to use their tools more effectively.

Get the tools that work for you, for your specific needs. The problem I see,
is that some developers truly believe that what *they* know, is best for
everyone else, too. To a man whose favorite (or only) tool is a hammer,
every problem looks like a nail.

-Steve Makohin
 Water's Edge Software
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada

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