X2C

Description

Although it appears to have roots in a system from the 80's called dBx that was a straight dBase compatible system, X2C is an xBase to C compiler originally shipped as a commercial product in 1992 by a company called Desktop Ai and was originally for DOS, OS/2 and VMS but later added support for Linux although that is text mode only. X2C creates executable programs from Xbase source by converting Xbase source into C and then compiling, and linking with included Xbase function libraries, in this respect it behaves like the much later Clip, Harbour and xHarbour systems.

In addition to native interfaces on DOS, OS/2, VMS and Linux the system can generate code for any system that has the Curses library, but that includes most Unices, Macintosh OS variations and mini and mainframe system like System i and MVS. The system also has an optional support for the GDB debugger.

The company changed its name to "On-the Net East" and specialised in database application on the net and and homepage design, they converted the X2C from a commercial program to an open source shareware in 1995. In 2001 the company changed its name again to "TnR Global LLC" and was by then a specialist in search databases, since the company no longer used the software in house they decided to open source it under a liberal license. Note that the X2C database program was often distributed in its shareware form with another product called Moving My Data, but note that that program is still shareware and has not been published under an open source license.

Standards supported

As X2c is slightly older than the other xBase compilers it only supports older xBase language variations including full support for:

• Borland/Ashton-Tate dBASE III PLUS
• Computer Associates/Nantucket Clipper (Summer '87)
• Microsoft/Fox Software FoxBASE ( versions up to and including 2.1).

Partial support offered for language extensions used by:

• Microsoft/Fox Software FoxPro
• Wordtech Systems dBXL and QuickSilver/Arago

Available libraries

Should be compatible with most Clipper/xBase libraries but in addition there are two X2c specific libraries in the form of:

• X2C-CGI - A library that helps with the development of

Version

• Latest OS/2 version: X2C 1.0/dBx 4.7

Prerequisites

• Borland C++ v2x (although other C compilers like Open Watcom or GCC should work as well.)

License

• Originally closed source commercial software, from 1995 open source shareware and since 2001 open source freeware under the Apache Software License v1

Author

• Desktop Ai
• On-the Net East
• TnR Global LLC
• Richard L. Roth