JBA Guidelines
Description
C++ development environment and an application generator for OS/2 that was later ported to MS Windows. Introduced in 1992 and originally written as a tool for developing GUI front ends for the AS/400 software products from the JBA Holdings company but was extended into a general business application development tool.
You build your application in a GUI designer then write the back end in a proprietary event driven fourth generation language called JOT, Guidelines then generated C++ code and you compiled it with your choice of C++ compatible compiler suite. The system was fully cross development compatible, i.e. software developed on OS/2 could be ported to Windows without any change and the other way around as well. In addition the company offered optional Client/Server back ends for AS/400, Unix SQL servers and ODBC.
While Guidelines did nothing in the OS/2 or Windows marketplaces it survived as an in house tool and was used for most PC system development at the company.
Version
- Latest OS/2 version: Version 3.21 (Designer 4.07a) 1995-Oct-16.
- Known fixpack: Mod65 - 1995 - There was almost certainly a later version than this of both the fixpack and the program itself, but we have not been able to find it.
Prerequisites
One of the following C++ compiler products:
Early versions of the software required IBM C SET++ 2.01 or IBM VisualAge 3.0 C++ OS/2 and the OS/2 Developers Toolkit to compile the Guidelines output, later versions will not support C SET.
Publications
- Teach yourself JBA Guidelines in 21 days by mtalexa@ibm.net
License
- Commercial, now discontinued.
The retail price for JBA Guidelines was :
- Professional Developers Kit $595
- Client/Server Connectivity $995
- MS Windows Code Generation $395
- Database Connectivity Pack (ODBC) $395
- Lotus Notes Support Pack $99
Note these prices from an early version of the toolkit, packaging and prices changed later on