Here you will find the latest information about your favorite development tool, Power++! Check here for information on new releases, updates, seminars on Power++, and other Power++ related events. Press releases about Power++ as well as news about this site also go here.

This Just In!

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• January 20^th, 1999:
  Hey all. A P++ friend writes in with news of the Power++ 2.5 beta program. It is now accepting registrations. Apparently it's going to be shipping very shortly, so if I were you I'd apply now. Check out http://www.sybase.com/products/powerpp/beta.html for more information.

• June 22^nd, 1998:
  Lately I've been getting e-mails asking why this site isn't being updated at its usually high rate. I've also been getting e-mails asking if I know anything about the rumours that Sybase is dropping Power++. I don't think the two questions are unrelated.

  For the record, I haven't the foggiest as to whether the rumours are true or not. Sybase has decided that myself, and all of you, are not important enough to have knowledge of the future (or the lack thereof) of Power++. If Sybase is indeed dropping the product, they should be ashamed of themselves for not telling us about it right away and straight out.

  If, alternatively, the rumours are total nonsense, then Sybase should be ashamed of themselves for not putting them to rest immediately. These rumours exist because Sybase has failed to make any serious effort to properly promote and support the product. No wonder people aren't submitting as much to this site anymore: some have moved on to other environments (even ones that they believe are inferior, but at least properly supported), and those that are still with us are wondering whether the product has a future. They don't have time to help out the Power++ community until they're assured that there will continue to be a community to help out.

  Perhaps those who work at Sybase are having the same feelings as us. One can't help but notice the Dr. Power++ page. Until recently, each tip number was really labelled as a week number. The idea was to add a new tip each week. If I remember correctly, the last tip is number 14. It's strange you know... It seems like Power++ (and before that Optima++) has been around for more than 14 weeks. Odd.

  There's been some mention that Sybase is planning an official statement on this issue. I'm wondering what's taking so long. I can imagine a wise person high up at Sybase (where are you???) asking a manager (or someone) below him for a report containing the following: An outline of what Sybase plans for the future versions of Power++ (I'm talking about listing features and not something vague like, "it will be more Internet-oriented." What percentage of the current known bugs will be fixed?), as well as a rough time line for when the versions are planning to be released. The statement must include information on how Sybase plans on better promoting Power++, and better supporting it for its existing users. What is Sybase planning to do differently for future releases of Power++ to lower the chance of serious bugs leaking into releases?

  I don't know about the rest of you, but I think that we deserve to see such a report.

• May 1^st, 1998:
  Starting tomorrow, I will be without Internet access for about 2 weeks (I'm moving for the summer). That being the case, if you want to e-mail me, either hold off until about the 15th, or don't expect a quick response. :)

• March 4^th, 1998:
  Sorry about the lack of updating this site people... I was too busy to even respond to my e-mail this week, but I'm back on track now (or at least on the way to being back on track!) :) On another note, I just yesterday received my shinney Power++ 2.1 CD... Keep looking for that courier truck! :P

• February 13^th, 1998:
  Thanks to Herbert Menke for pointing this out to me (strange that, as a beta tester, I wasn't informed about this); straight from the Power++ web site: Version 2.1 of Power++ Developer, Professional, and Enterprise are now available. The Power++ 2.1 maintenance releases address many issues reported by users as well as includes enhancements and new functionality. All Power++ 2.0 Update Subscription Program Customers will be automatically shipped this new release. All other Power++ 2.0 customers can receive Power++ 2.1 for no charge (shipping/handling extra). To order you copy of Power++ 2.1 please call 1-800-8-SYBASE or your local Sybase office.

• February 10^th, 1998:
  Hey all! I just want to let you all know that, at least for the next few months I think I'm going to be a little busier than I had expected to be. Among other unforseen developments, I'm going to be programming for the Psion Series 5 Palmtop computer (this machine blows away all other palmtops I've seen, BTW). I'll still fully maintain this site, and I'll try to post things as fast as you send them in, so don't stop submitting! But I probably won't be able to encourage people to submit things or to seek out and add interesting things myself, like I try to do now. That's all for now!

• January 16^th, 1998:
  Powersoft / Sybase has been kind enough to move all of their web pages (again) and not leave links for the old locations to the new ones. :( I've updated all of them on the Resources page, so if you want to update your own links, you can check for the new ones there.

• December 22^nd, 1997:
  I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy holiday! Hope you're all having a great one... Happy Holidays!

• December 15^th, 1997:
  Well, I'm back in business... I apologise for the lack of updating on the site in the past few weeks. Things will be updated regularly from now on, so start sending in those programs/tips/code! On another note, Dr. Power++ has been updated with a new article: Order! Order! Setting Tab Order at Runtime. The article deals with, as the name implies, setting the tab order of controls on your form at run-time, including ActiveX controls which are a special case. It's a good read even if this isn't a concern of yours right now.

• December 3^rd, 1997:
  If you've sent me a letter in the past week and haven't received a reply yet, don't worry, I'm just too busy to respond. :/ For the same reason, this site is going to be a little slow in the updating for the next week, but after that things should pick up in pace and I should be back on track. So please do not stop sending in submittals! I'll get to them eventually. Also, I've noticed that although this site is consistently getting more popular as time goes by, fewer people are sending in Power++ Tips and the like. I don't like that trend... Contribute or be cast out! :) That's all for now...

• November 21^st, 1997:
  OptimaPP is no more... All hail PowerPP! For those of you who were already subscribed to the OptimaPP Discussion List, you probably already know that it has ceased to be in its old form... Thank you Gess for putting up with us Power-Developers for so long! And thank you Andre for taking on the job with the new PowerPP list! If you weren't already subscribed, now is a good time to join... Take a look the PowerPP Discussion List web site for information on joining. Notice the searchable archives! :)

• November 19^th, 1997:
  C++ is now an international standard! "International Organisation for Standards representatives from eight nations and 40 companies voted unanimously Monday to make C++ an international standard. The standard will be submitted to the ISO's member governments for final ratification, which is expected by March." Check out the full story for more information.

• November 9^th, 1997:
  Just wanted to make a little note about sending me e-mail. I love e-mail. I love the sound Eudora makes when I get e-mail. I greatly appreciate all of you who send me Power++ tips and code and resources. But please, oh please, don't send me questions when you're having trouble with something in Power++ unrelated to this site... It's not that I mind answering those questions when I can, it's just that I usually can't! Instead, if you post your question to the OptimaPP mailing list (currently undergoing some changes - I'll let you know when things settle down), or the Powersoft-hosted Power++ newsgroups, then everyone, including myself, will see your message and there will be a far greater chance that it will get answered! So don't waist your time trying to go directly to me. If I see a question on one of these forums that hasn't been answered and that I know the answer to, trust me, I'll respond to it. Sorry to be so direct about this, but I'm just trying to save you some time. :)

• September 21^st, 1997:
  As most of you probably know, the OptimaPP Discussion list is going to be down for the next few days. That being the case, I'd suggest that people use the Powersoft-hosted newsgroups while the list is down. Information on these newsgroups is provided on the Power++ Resources page.

• September 14^th, 1997:
  By popular demand, I've added a What's New page to the site. This page lists things that have been added to the site in reverse chronological order, so it will be easy to find new things. Let me know if you have any problems with it.

• September 9^th, 1997:
  Tip #13 of Dr. Power++ is here: Jazz Up Your DataWindow! The article covers the following DataWindow issues:
  • Obtaining the DataWindow Handle
  • Setting the focus to the DataWindow
  • TAB-ing out from a DataWindow
  • Simulating a TAB in the PressEnter Event
  • Removing the border from a DataWindow

• August 27^th, 1997:
  On August 25^th Powersoft announced the general availability of PowerJ Enterprise Version 2.0. Take a look at the official press release for more information. Many people have inquired in the past as to whether I would add a PowerJ section to my site when it became available. The problem is that I like to test the things people submit to me for Power++ before I post them to the site. Also, the main reason I maintain this site is because I use Power++ on a daily basis, and so I therefore don't mind supporting it. On the other hand, with PowerJ costing just under $2000, I won't be purchasing it just to full around in. :) And so I won't be able to test any sample programs (or whatnot) submitted, nor will I have experience with the product I'm supporting. Please let me know your feelings on the topic. Is there a demand for a PowerJ site right now, or should I just let the mission fall into someone else's hands?

• August 26^th, 1997:
  A new page has been added to the site! Thanks to Jon Strande we now have the Power++ Newcomers Corner. Jon will be doing weekly columns for people who are new to Power++ and/or C++ in general. I encourage you all to check it out and e-mail Jon with comments or suggestions.

• August 14^th, 1997:
  I have 246 000 things to do today (I counted), so I'll be brief. :) Firstly, we now have our very own domain name. The site is now located at http://www.orbit.org/power/. As before, all the base.org pointers will still work and point to the new URL, but from now on I'll be using the new URL exclusively since it is all mine and will never change. :P Now in order to get/use this new domain name I had to pay money - you never would have thought, would you?? :). I am also now hosting the pages on a commercial server for the Virtual Machine required to use the domain name. This being the case, I have decided that I will accept advertising on this site. If you are interested, let me know. I'm basically looking to cover my costs of hosting and maintaining this site, and not expecting to make lots of money, so you can get a real good deal as well as target essentially the entire P++ community (this being the only P++ web site).

  As a side note, I'm sorry to people who have submitted items in the past week but haven't got it up here yet... I will be putting things up again starting tomorrow.

• June 28^th, 1997:
  Purchase or update to any edition of Power++ 2.0 by July 11^th, 1997 and receive a FREE copy of the 480 page instruction book, Power++ Professional Reference! This comprehensive guide to Power++ 2.0 development, a $49.95 value, is written by Team Powersoft insider, Peter J. Horwood. It includes a CD packed with tools for Web development and a wealth of details for building client/server applications. (The offer is only good in North America). For more information, visit:
  • http://www.sybase.com/campaign/power++/

• June 23^rd, 1997:
  Take the Power++ Web Challenge! All you have to do is tell Powersoft, in a brief paragraph, how you would use Power++ to achieve breakthrough performance on your Web site, and you can win:
  • Grand Prize: Power++ Enterprise Subscription plus a copy of PowerJ
  • 2^nd Prize: Power++ Enterprise
  • 3^rd Prize: $100.00 AMEX certificate
  • 4^th Prize: $50.00 AMEX certificate
  • 5^th Prize: $25.00 AMEX certificate
  Just fill out the form at http://www.sybase.com/promos/powerform.html. Good luck!

• June 21^st, 1997:
  Voting has started for the proposed Power++ newsgroup, as well as newsgroups for other RAD related discussions. They will be:
  • comp.soft-sys.rad.misc
  • comp.soft-sys.rad.c++.misc
  • comp.soft-sys.rad.c++.c++builder
  • comp.soft-sys.rad.c++.power++
  I urge all of you to get out there and vote yes for all the proposed groups. Go to the newsgroup news.announce.newgroups, and read the CFV called "CFV: comp.soft-sys.rad.*" If for some reason you cannot get a copy of the CFV from news.announce.newgroups or one of the other groups it was posted to please e-mail the Votetaker, Jim Davis <jjd@primenet.com> and request a copy of the CFV. (Thanks to Jimmie Houchin for making all this happen!)

• June 14^th, 1997:
  Well, it happened again. We have switched servers! I'm thinking of adding an official slogan to this site: Which Server Would You Like To Use Today? Right now the site is located on the server of my good friend at Hourglass Enterprises and hooked up to the net by cable modem. I would really appreciate it if you could send me some comments about the new server. Is it fast/slow? Also let me know if for some reason it is unavailable to you.

• May 30^th, 1997:
  Dr. Power++ has been updated! Week 12 of Dr. Power++ is titled Making a Splash and describes how to make splash screens for your Power++ applications.

• May 24^th, 1997:
  The Power++ Tips page is up! I will be posting one new tip per week. Thanks to all those who have already sent in tips. For everyone else: what are you waiting for? :) Now is the time to send in your tips and tricks of all kinds and be immortalised in the fuzz of electrons that is this web site.

• May 1^st, 1997:
  Well, it is official, Power++ 2.0 will ship in one week! It went to manufacturing around the 25^th, so it should be in your hands real soon. As you can see, this site is now ready for version 2.0 with the new name: Absolute Power++. The person who suggested this name was Carlos Eton; thanks Carlos! And thanks to everyone else who sent in lots of other great name suggestions... it was difficult making a decision. The runner up was Glenn Larkin who suggested naming the site: TPFKAO (The Product Formerly Known As Optima) Web Site. If it wasn't so long, I might have used it. :)

  By the way, if you are wondering what ever happened to that Tips page I said I was going to be putting up, well I am too. What's happening people? I got a grand total of zero tip suggestions. Not what I had hoped for. In any case, I'm not going to through the idea out the window; if you have tips, send 'em in! I'll start posting when people start sending. Aside from the Tips page, there will be another page added to this site (shortly I hope), which I know you will not be disappointed with (hint: it is asked for often on the OptimaPP mailing list). Stay tuned!

• April 29^th, 1997:
  If you are planning on upgrading to Power++ 2.0, now may be the time to act! If you already own Power++ 1.5 Professional or Enterprise, no matter when you bought it, you can get the Update Subscription Program which includes:
  • All of the interim releases up to and including the corresponding edition of Power++ 2.0
  • A free general availability copy of Powersoft's new RAD Java tool for business application development - PowerJ (currently code-named Jato)!
  For more information, see http://www.sybase.com/promos/specials/discnt.html.

• April 25^th, 1997:
  Dr. Power++ has been updated! The latest issue, week 11, is The BLOB in your Database. You can also download the Power++ 1.6 project source for the example program discussed in this issue.

• April 23^rd, 1997:
  Power++ wins Jolt Cola Productivity Award for Languages and Development Environments at SDWest, Wednesday, April 2, 1997.

  You can now order your Early Access Program copy of PowerJ. Call 1-800-395-3525. New features include:

  • Complete support for JDK 1.10 and JDK 1.02
  • Design-time support for JavaBeans and other Java components
  • Configurable browser, viewer and debugging support
  • Simplified database support
  • JDBC 1.21

• April 1^st, 1997:
  Powersoft has bought over Microsoft! Maybe it would have been more believable had I said it the other way around... April fools. :) In serious news, I'm thinking of adding an Optimal Tips section to this site - maybe something to complement Dr. Power++ - where each week a new Power++ tip will be posted. They don't have to be long tutorials (although they could be), but instead most will be short productivity tips and things you have picked up in your experiences with Power++. The key word there is you. This will only work if you gals and guys participate. So send in your tips and tricks of the trade! If I get a good response, I'll start the new page in about a week.

• March 12^th, 1997:
  Great things are afoot. Firstly, this site has moved to a new server. Feel free to e-mail me and let me know how the new server is compared to the old one (slower, faster...). I won't really be able to do anything about it at this point, but it is nice to know. :)

  Secondly, you may wish to take a look at this story from TechWeb, Powersoft Details Its Strategy. Of note from the article, is the fact that Power++ is being renamed to Power++ for the version 2.0 release! Jato meanwhile will be named PowerJ. This leads to an interesting question: will this site have to be renamed "The Powerful Web Site"??? I don't think so... but if you do think of a good name, feel free to suggest it to me. The winner will be allowed to access this web site for free, while the compensation prize for the losers, will be free access to this web site.

• February 28^th, 1997:
  I have decided that since Dr. Power++ is such a great resource, I will post the information here as it gets updated. That being the case, Dr. Power++ has been updated! :) Issue 10 of Dr. Power++, 100 cc's of ICONS - STAT! (StatusBar, that is.), steps you through creating a status bar with multiple panels in your form, and adding controls to each of those panels. Specifically, in this example, a progress bar is added to one panel, and an icon to another.

• February 12^th, 1997:
  Sybase Inc. has announced "Jato," the second beta release of its rapid application development (RAD) Java development tool formerly code-named "Starbuck." You can take a look at the press release for more information. Jato is also available for download now.

  Sybase has announced version 11.0 of Watcom C++. Key highlights of the new version include:

  • Comprehensive Support For MMX Technology
  • Improved C++ Language Features
  • Additional Optimizations
  • Increased Productivity
  You can take a look at the press release for more information.

• February 1^st, 1997:
  Powersoft's Power++ based Java development environment, previously code-named Starbuck, is now known as Jato! A new beta should be available for download from Powersoft's site early in this month of February. It will include these new features:
  • Updated support for JavaBeans and ActiveX components
  • jdbcCONNECT
  • Visual SQL query editor
  • Enhanced component palette
  • Improved documentation
  Also, check out Gess Shankar's article about Jato in InfoWorld.

• January 28^th, 1997:
  Power++ 1.5 Professional wins PC Magazine Editor's Choice! Take a look at the review of Power++. You can also view what PC Magazine has to say about Power++ in their editor's choice section.

• January 23^rd, 1997:
  Power++ Training is now available. By attending Rapid Application Development with Power++ training, you learn to:
  • Program faster with drag-and-drop features
  • Get targeted assistance with Reference Cards and Parameter Wizards
  • Leverage the Power++ Component Library with over 150 components and classes
  • Build custom application servers for the Internet
  • Link and embed ActiveX controls, invoke methods, and leverage ActiveX servers
  • Access and manipulate data in your database
  • Create multithreaded applications for ultimate efficiency and responsiveness
  • Debug and deploy applications
  
  Progress to advanced Optima++ development. Register for the DataWindows with Power++ course. In two days, you'll learn to use the patented Powersoft technology for point-and-click SQL data access, querying, and reporting. You'll also understand DataWindows buffers, error handling, data validation and more.

• January 6^th, 1997:
  Happy New Year! A new page has been added to this web site, Life Without Delphi!
  Thinking about making the switch over from Delphi to Power++? Maybe you just want to see what Power++ has to offer you. Or perhaps you have already made the decision to use Power++, but need that last push to get you going (or to get your boss going with you). This is the page for you. This page was not intended to be a tutorial (though it might be all you need if you are already familiar with both Delphi and C++).

• December 23^rd, 1996:
  A patch has been released for version 1.5 of Power++. The following issues are addressed in this patch:
  • Bug fix: the code editors under Hebrew and Arabic Windows 95 did not work properly.
  • Bug fix: remote debugging (including remote debugging of Win32s applications) did not work properly.
  • Bug fix: Close did not work on an asynchronous WSocket after a SocketCloseEvent occured.
  • Bug fix: requesting 'no warnings' in the target options did not remove all warnings.
  • Enhancement: the error log is opened up to the first target containing the an error, avoiding targets which have only warnings.
  • Enchancement: better support for databases which do not support absolute cursor positioning in ODBC (such as Microsoft SQL Server 6.5).
  • Bug fix: the query Open method was not properly closing the cursor if it was already open.
  The patch can be downloaded here. (8.1 MB)

• December 11^th, 1996:
  "At Fall Internet World, Sybase Inc. today announced a new development tool for Java, code-named "Starbuck", designed to greatly enhance the productivity of business developers building and deploying Java applets and applications. Leveraging Sybase Inc.'s expertise in business application development and the technology of its award-winning Powersoft Power++, "Starbuck" provides a highly productive, component-based development environment with scalable database connectivity and server-side development."
  Read the entire press release here. You can also download a pre-release copy here.

• December 5^th, 1996:
  Powersoft Power++ Enterprise wins Best of Lan Times 1996 award: "Developers of C and C++ finally have a Rapid Applications Development tool to call their own. Power++ Enterprise from Sybase Inc.'s Powersoft Business Group combines superb database capabilities with team tools to advance the state of the programming art."
  Read the entire review here.

• December 5^th, 1996:
  Computer Reseller News gives Power++ recommended status: "Power++ Enterprise 1.5 is a rapid application development tool that dramatically simplifies the use of C++. The toolkit lets developers build everything from simple, stand-alone applications to advanced, enterprise-wide client/server and Internet/intranet applications."
  Read the entire review here.

• October 23^rd, 1996:
  Powersoft has made available the Power++ Test Drive. Just fill out the form, and download a copy of Power++! To reduce download time, there are offered several different versions of the Test Drive Edition with various components omitted. You may download the full version, or versions with samples and/or help and/or Sybase SQL Anywhere removed. The Test Drive is a fully-functional version with no redistribution rights.

• September 24^th, 1996:
  Powersoft today announced shipment of version 1.5 of its Power++ product line, a family of rapid application development (RAD) tools that dramatically simplifies the use of C++. Available in three editions -- Developer, Professional and Enterprise -- Power++ lets developers build everything from simple, standalone applications to advanced, enterprise-wide client/server and Internet applications.
  For information about each individual package, visit: http://www.sybase.com/products/internet/optima/readroom.html

• July 19^th, 1996:
  The Optimal Web Site opens its doors to the public! Welcome to you all. I know that, with your help, this site will become the single best source for all of your Power++ needs.

• July 12^th, 1996:
  Power++ 1.0.01 Developer Patch - You can download it from ftp://ftp.powersoft.com/pub/optima/maintfls/v1.0/patch01.zip, or visit http://www.sybase.com/products/powerpp/patches.html for more information.

• June 24^th, 1996:
  Power++ Pays Homage To Watcom Heritage - Hear what LanTimes has to say about Power++. Here is a little snippet: "When programming-tool vendors are purchased by bigger companies, users get the jitters. At least this was the case when PowerBuilder-maker Powersoft Corp. purchased tiny Watcom International Inc., manufacturer of highly regarded language compilers and a nice, inexpensive SQL database server. However, users needn't have worried. Even though Powersoft was subsequently bought by database-vendor Sybase Inc., Watcom somehow managed to emerge with its innovative spirit intact. Power++ is a case in point. While it may sport the Powersoft moniker, make no mistake, it's Watcom inside."

• June 10^th, 1996:
  A RAD tool that aces the competition - PC Week speaks on Powersoft Power++ in relation to the other RAD tools. Here is a preview: "Powersoft's Power++ Developer 1.0, although only the entry-level package in a three-tier lineup to be completed over the summer, challenges vendors of competing rapid application development tools to keep up with its speed and to justify their use of proprietary languages supported by less integrated tool kits. Borland's Delphi 2.0, Microsoft's Visual Basic 4.0 and TopSpeed's Clarion for Windows 1.5 retain the benefits of languages more easily readable than C++, but the productive coding aids of Power++ offset the error-prone syntax of C++ and accelerate the effective use of prebuilt software components."