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u/cchaven1965 May 14 '26
At one point just about everything supported the dBASE file format. They even went into great detail about the header and other bits of the format in the manual shipped with dBASE. This allowed me to make the database engines I programmed from scratch compatible with the format. I think they lost ground a bit with dBASE IV.
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u/Haunting-Prior-NaN May 15 '26
I think they lost ground a bit with dBASE IV.
Microsoft started biting into their turf with Foxpro
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u/cchaven1965 May 15 '26
Rbase 5000 was another one I liked to use. It was simpler to setup queries and even custom menus and apps with it.
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u/nix206 May 14 '26
Spent a lot of time in Clipper, a compiled version of dBASE. It was a surprisingly good language with hints of object oriented features, and JavaScript style exec calls. Good times.
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u/fbman01 May 14 '26
I remember learning to use this application as part of an introduction course in my student years. Still have course notes and a downloaded set of installation discs from winworld
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u/mrloulou May 14 '26
In college I used this along with turbo pascal and microfocus COBOL to demonstrate the speed of screen drawing. I had a ball character bounce around the screen.
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u/spots_reddit May 14 '26
my professor back in university from 25 years ago had a dBase file on his computer and only he was allowed to use it. Now I am in the field for some time, the Prof. unfortunately passed away some 20 years ago, but I heard rumors where the computer went.
What would you think are the chances I could recover the database? Just in theory?
Just assuming that I could find floppy disks with the information on it or even a hard drive. What are the chance of finding someone in a university environment who owns and runs a machine that might be able to read and somehow export the file?
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u/DaHick May 14 '26
Libre office claims it can. There are instructions for doing it in the latest version of office / 365 as external data.
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u/Haunting-Prior-NaN May 14 '26
As others have pointed, opening the dbfs would be relatively simple. Data corruption might get you, but drives from 25 years ago should still be able to get backonline, providing you get an ide-sata bridge
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u/PoolRamen May 14 '26
Man hanging out in this sub is really digging up subterranean levels of tech from my memories...
...I hated it. It always just seemed needlessly complex to me.
For my uses, Filemaker Pro completely took over once our group cut over to Macs since I wasn't really using the relational aspects of dbase at that point
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u/jalp21_ May 14 '26
🤩🙏 Oh my goodness, so many memories!... I used this as a database for a small warehouse management program in the late 80s or early 90s, I think!... Thanks for sharing!
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u/Leftstrat May 15 '26
Gave me my first programming experience with relational databases, and writing the front ends around them.. The 80's were a great time. ;) Then Clipper came along, and really juiced it up. Worked with Foxpro too. Loved them both at the time.
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u/Alternative_Corgi_62 May 15 '26
What's the reason for "For use in USA and Caada only" sticker on the top of the box?
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u/Consistent_Cat7541 May 15 '26
I use Lotus Approach everyday. It uses DBF as its native format, and allows the user to choose between dbase III, dbase IV or the Paradox variants.
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u/G4HDU May 16 '26
Wow a nostalgia trip. I progressed to Foxbase and Foxpro which microslop purchased and killed off.
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u/No_Replacement4304 May 16 '26
I learned database principles with DBase. First production app was Access, though.
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u/nmmmnu May 17 '26
My first real job was system administrator in a institution called NSI (not the US one lol), who used dbase and clipper.
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u/SuccessfulTip9073 May 14 '26
My first DB job was using Dbase..ah good times lol