Borland Paradox

Paradox is a relational database system for OS/2 and DOS with a version later showing up for MS Windows that was very different from the other two versions although mostly compatible with the exception of the programming language.

Paradox was quite a different take on the database that most of the other database packages popular at the time, it was heavily influenced by the spreadsheet package Lotus 1-2-3 in looks and function and this was not the least apparent in the programming language that was shipped with the database, known as Paradox Application Language (PAL) and although a fairly common 4th generation business language in some way it could be recorded from keyboard actions like a Lotus 1-2-3 macro.

History
Originally released in 1985 by USA independent publisher Ansa Software in 1985, it was taken over by Borland in 1987, who went on to port it to OS/2.

A version for the Mac was not shipped. The Reflex flat file database that on DOS was a budget software with limited programming abilities, existed in a version for the Mac was already quite an advanced relational database.

Paradox SQL
An add on program developed for Paradox OS/2 in 1988 that emulated the SQL interface of IBM DB2 and allowed Paradox for OS/2 1.0 to replace IBM's product as a database server, this was later given more generic SQL features and ported to other operating systems.

Versions

 * OS/2
 * Version 1 - announced by Borland in late 1987 but actually not shipped until summer 1988. A superset of "Paradox version 386" but could run all programs developed on it and "Paradox version 2"
 * Version 2

Ansa Software
 * DOS
 * 1.0 (1985)
 * 1.1
 * 2 (1986)
 * 2.01 (1987)
 * Version 386 (1987)

Borland International
 * 3.0
 * 3.5 (1990)
 * 4.0 (1992) - re-written mostly from scratch in Borland C++
 * 4.01 (1993)
 * 4.02 (1993)
 * 4.5


 * Paradox for Windows 3.1
 * 1.0 (1993)
 * 4.5 (1993)
 * 5.0 (1994)
 * 7 (May 1996)

Publications

 * PC Magazine's famous 1988 rave review of Paradox OS/2 which asserted that it was the first OS/2 software that took advantage of the OS/2 feature set to such a degree that it made sense for people to move from DOS to the newer OS.

License

 * Commercial software - DOS and OS/2 versions discontinued, MS Windows version still available.

Authors

 * Richard Schwartz (Original author)
 * Robert Shostak (Original author)
 * Ansa Software (Original Publisher), Borland, WordPerfect Corp., Corel (Current owner)