The PowerBuilder Phenomenon – One Perspective
Introduction
Conceptual Model of PowerBuilder Apps
This is a historical perspective of the application development platform and IDE named PowerBuilder by Sybase Corporation. The summary was written by Rich Bianco and is accurate to the best of his knowledge. This summary contains facts and opinions about the history of PowerBuilder, the opinions are Rich’s and do not reflect those of any client he represents. Rich is an expert level PB developer having extensive experience with Version 3 through Version 11.2 against all major DBMS (Oracle, MS SQL Server, Sybase SQL Server, Informix).
The Birth and Death of PowerBuilder (1985-87)
The initial prototype of PowerBuilder was presented to management at a company called Cullinet in 1985, however they were facing big problems fending off Computer Associates from a hostile takeover, and were not able to capitalize on the outstanding product. They lost the battle against CA shortly after in 1986 via a hostile takeover. The prototype was deemed non-essential to the corporate raiders at CA and shelved along with firing of it’s developers. It would appear that PowerBuilder was dead before it had a chance. It is ironic that CA practically gave away the most valuable part of the company they engulfed.
Rebirth – Luck, or Karma? (1988)
In 1988, PowerSoft had been developing apps for the VAX platform and saw that PC products were about to explode, so they asked the vultures over at CA if they wanted to sell the original code. CA had looked at the code and determined it “had no future”, so they sold it to PowerSoft for a few dollars and good luck wish. PowerSoft then assembled the original team and started enhancing the program. Three years after initial concept the project was brought back to life, either by Luck, or Karma.
“PowerBuilder” was for real (1989)
PB App and Google Maps Services
About a year after getting the code from CA, the team had themselves a product, and christened it with the name “PowerBuilder”. They were developing VAX applications for customers and started to rewrite some internal applications using the new tool. It was a brilliant way to test, improve and refine the tool. However they lacked the funding to undertake the complex projects. HP was invited for a demo of the product, and apparently was so impressed that they pretty much wrote a blank check to PowerSoft. HP began developing their in-house PC apps using PowerBuilder, while PowerSoft was rewriting complex VAX applications for the PC and collecting real-world test results and refining the tool along the way. PowerBuilder had a feature that is not available in any other language to this day, not without purchasing add-ons or sacrificing control or offering database independence.
First global customers (1989-90)
The first few worldwide customers were enough validation that PowerBuilder filled a huge void in a huge untapped market. Most notable is the second customer. I don’t believe many people know PB was adopted by Microsoft so early on. I suppose MS would not prefer to advertise the fact that they weren’t developing with their own tools.
- Royal Australian Air Force – First global customer
- Microsoft Corporation – Second global customer. Management in Redmond, WA not only purchased licenses and developed in-house applications, but it has been said that employees using PowerBuilder raved about it to friends further fueling the PB fever that was under way.
- Canadian Government – PB became the tool of choice for development after a recommendation made to the Canadian Government. Revenue Canada built GST (Govt. Sales Tax) system that is tracking tax returns to this day. Most Canadian departments use PB for mission-critical systems ranging from those that scan your license plate when you drive into Canada, scanning of your passport, to critical interfacing with Canadian runway and radar system (a 24×7 operation). The list of applications is quite large many still in use today. Other applications are the Old Age Pension (developed in 2002), Case Logging for the Supreme Court & Tax Court of Canada, Firearms Registration System, UN Troop Deployment, Security Clearance System, and Federal Election support systems. An independent study compared performance of one of their systems written in PB v.s. Visual Basic and the PB one performed 4000% faster. Maybe Canadians are smarter than us Americans’ and not so eager to use a tool (e.g. Java, .Net) just because it is the new buzzword, or the latest fad.
Money, Money, Money (1990-96)
PowerBuilder was gaining traction fast, companies couldn’t buy it fast enough, and developers with experience were commanding six figure salaries. Revenue numbers were amazing growing consistently year after year. Around 1994 the inevitable happened, PowerSoft merged, or was
Sample uses Flicka Services
acquired by Sybase to the tune of around a billion dollars in a stock deal. But Sybase was unable to retain the core developers of the product, and it appeared that they could not market the product properly. Sybase stock took a beating and I’m sure they wished the marriage could have been annulled. Market share was still very strong however but it seems like 1996 was a distinct turning point when Web mania began taking away some of PB’s thunder. Sybase wasted several years by making a commitment to Java which gave the founders that left time to make a competing tool called SilverStream (acquired by Novell in ’92)
The new scapegoat for poorly performing applications (1997-2009)
Through all of the years (over a decade) of using PowerBuilder at numerous companies against every major DBMS there was never a performance problem that could be attributed to PowerBuilder. I have a very strong theory about why people were starting to complain about how PB applications were too slow, too network intensive, or too hard on the database. Every single time I worked on one of these so called “slow” applications it was evident that the developer was not trained properly at using PowerBuilder. The combination of simplicity & power facilitated development of serious applications by persons with little programming experience. As the name “PowerBuilder” implies, it is extremely powerful tool, and in the hands of a junior level developer with little or no understanding of Object Oriented Programming or weak DBMS Skills a fair number of bad PowerBuilder applications started to make a bad name for the tool. It is my opinion, that PowerBuilder is still (in 2010) the best 4GL around. I’ll challenge anyone with their tool of choice and I’ll use PowerBuilder, and have the results independently checked for quality, performance, scalability, maintainability, and whatever other criteria they can dream up. I wish Sybase would sponsor something like this and prove once again how strong the tool is, but it seems as if they don’t even believe in themselves. Anyway my theory… almost every company I worked there were PB apps written by novice developers. PB was far too powerful a tool in the hands of a novice, it is like a civilian shooting a bazooka at the range. It got the job done but was causing damage either by retrieving the entire database into a datawindow causing database degradation, network congestion, it seemed most of the complaining originated from DBA’s and Network Engineers. It isn’t practical, but you should be required to earn a license to use PowerBuilder. It is too easy and forgiving to write bad code giving the tool a bad name.
Sybase Marketing - 1 step forward, 2 steps back? (2009 – 2010)
I can’t speak for most developers, but it will be a cold day in hell when I shell out thousands of dollars for development software to learn with. Shall I even waste the time installing PB11.5 for 30 days elapsed time, meaning I might open it about 3 or 4 times? Sybase as usual is doing the exact opposite of everyone else. We are in the age of Open Source, which is being embraced at the corporate level now, and Sybase decides to do hardware to license marriages. This means when you install the software you have to log into Sybase, and assign a physical PC with a license. If your hard drive crashes (our corporate laptops averaged every two or three years) you have to find the original instructions and detach the license and attach it to the new PC. So much for installing PB on your home PC as the license allows when the company you are working for manages the licenses.
In the past, developers were like a shadow sales team for Sybase, we would check out all the new bells and whistles on new versions and make a case to management about why we need it. With the new assume everyone is a thief first policy Sybase has effectively taken away the ability for developer to verify new features and feel comfortable recommending an upgrade. No developer that has been around the block will recommend a product based on marketing hype, we need to see it work.
All software companies have to deal with the cost of piracy, there will always be someone who will crack software it is just one cost of doing business. This cost is fairly predictable and is probably easy to detect via virtually every PC being connected to the internet. But I really wonder if Sybase has considered the cost of alienating loyal customers. How many customers will give it up and move to another tool when they are inconvenienced or are made to feel like a thief. I think of Wal-Mart which I have boycotted because I feel like a thief with all their cameras, and locked up merchandise, it used to be the smaller expensive items, but now they are locking basic items that you’d have to wear a trench coat to sneak out of the store with. Forget it, I feel like a valued customer at Target and the prices are competitive.
Who will step in next? I’m betting that WaveMaker will be the next “PowerBuilder” for Ajax and Web Applications? (2010 and beyond…)
With PowerBuilders’ popularity on an apparent decline it is only a matter of time before Sybase decides to pull the cord on it. Even though the tool offers productivity unmatched by other leading tools it may lose critical mass needed to stay in the market. Everyone is watching and waiting to see what happens and WaveMaker couldn’t have come a minute too soon. WaveMaker is the first tool that I’ve been exited about using since PowerBuilder. I’m committed to riding the next wave (pun) and learning WaveMaker. Watch my blog in the coming weeks for new WaveMaker articles, tutorials and comparisons between PowerBuilder and WaveMaker. Here is one article on WaveMaker.
Your thoughts?
Are you a PB developer or ex-PB Developer? I’d love to hear what you think, what you are doing now. Please let me know via the comments or email. If you decide to try WaveMaker look for me on the WaveMaker development forum under username RichBianco.
Misc – About PowerBuilder
Product Manuals
- Installation Guide InfoMaker 11.5
This book is for anyone installing InfoMaker 11.5. It addresses installation, product licensing with SySAM, migration information and other topics. For complete topic information, see “Contents”. - InfoMaker 11.5 Getting Started
This book introduces InfoMaker and provides a tutorial for learning to use InfoMaker. The lessons teach basics and how to create forms, reports, queries, and graphs. - InfoMaker 11.5 Connecting to Your Database
This book is for anyone using InfoMaker to connect to a database. It assumes you are familiar with the database you are using and have installed the server and client software required to access the data. - PowerBuilder 11.5 Extension Reference
This book is for programmers who build applications that use built-in PowerBuilder extensions. - PowerBuilder 11.5 Connection Reference
This book describes the database parameters and preferences used to connect to a database in PowerBuilder. - PowerBuilder 11.5 PowerScript Reference
This reference manual describes syntax and usage information for the PowerScript language including variables, expressions, statements, events, and functions . - PowerBuilder 11.5 Users Guide
This book describes the PowerBuilder development environment and the use of PowerBuilder user interface tools in building objects including windows, menus, DataWindow objects, and user-defined objects, creating client/server and multitier applications . - PowerBuilder 11.5 Getting Started
This book provides an overview of the PowerBuilder 11.5 development environment, a tutorial in which you build your first application, create a PowerDynamo Web target, deploy and run a Web site, and more. Please see “About this Book” for more details. - Installation Guide PowerBuilder Enterprise
This book explains how to install the PowerBuilder Enterprise 11.5 product. - Installation Guide PowerBuilder Desktop/Professional 11.5
This book describes the installation of the Desktop or Professional edition of PowerBuilder 11.5.
- sybase.public.powerbuilder.french.general
PowerBuilder: French Newsgroup - sybase.public.powerbuilder.net.webform
Newsgroup for Power Builder .net webform targets - sybase.public.powerbuilder.net.assembly
Newsgroup for Power Builder .net assembly targets - sybase.public.powerbuilder.net.webservice
Newsgroup for Power Builder .net webservice targets - sybase.public.powerbuilder.net.winform
Newsgroup for Power Builder .net winform targets - sybase.public.powerbuilder.rte
A Newsgroup for Power Builder RTE - sybase.public.powerbuilder.appserver_plugin
Power Builder AppServer Plugin Newsgroup - sybase.public.chinese.powerbuilder.general
Chinese PowerBuilder: General Topics Newsgroup - sybase.public.powerbuilder.spanish.general
PowerBuilder: Spanish Newsgroup - sybase.public.appeon
Public forum for Appeon for PowerBuilder discussions.
47 comments
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December 21, 2010 at 12:12 AM (UTC -5)
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sns says:
December 20, 2010 at 5:17 PM (UTC -5)
Hello Rich,
Your Blog was interesting and informative. I have been a PB developer for more than 12 yrs( PB 4.0- PB 11.2) and keen on moving over to more recent technologies(particularly .net), but been putting off as I have been getting jobs in PB. At the same time, I realize the time is past due. WaveMaker seems to be interesting and looks lot more easier to transition into for a PB deveoper. But, how are the job opportunities for WaveMaker ? Also, where are you located currently ? I would like to know this as you had mentioned that the company you work for is looking to hire PB developers.
Regards,
sns
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December 8, 2010 at 6:31 AM (UTC -5)
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Andrew says:
October 10, 2010 at 6:22 PM (UTC -5)
The datawindow was an excellent solution for the time – the time being client/server apps.
Back then being able to simply say “select stuff, * from nonsense where sense = none”, drag a few fields around to set the visual form, plonk that on a window with a few lines of code and 5 buttons and have a CRUD app was just great.
If you knew what you were doing, you could create a base class and inherit – this was before VB even had inheritance.
Like you said, remains unbeaten.
Now…
we have some random stuff passed to an App Server.
This Appserver (generally) gets an object template, instantiates it, and then calls of_retrieve(none). The datawindow is retrieved and displayed.
Etc
The trouble is that I seem to need a lot more managing code to cope with CRUD where the object is stateless, setting up the containers etc etc
So the gain by using PB is swamped by the 3-tier issues that all such tools seem to have, and as no-one uses PB much, it wont be.
I found this post via google from wavemaker as I was looking for the same thing.
Orlando Goshen says:
October 8, 2010 at 9:11 PM (UTC -5)
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Monroe Strecker says:
September 23, 2010 at 3:24 AM (UTC -5)
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Fan of PB says:
September 8, 2010 at 11:18 AM (UTC -5)
Hi,
I was a hard core PowerBuilder developer once upon a time. We had sucessfully developed many back office applications in the finance sector. Somehow in my heart and mind, i am still a hard core fan of PB.
Then i moved to VB.Net, C# and now elivated in the corporate lader so less of a programming more politics!
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amit pandey says:
July 19, 2010 at 3:14 AM (UTC -5)
I am fresher and just started my career as a PowerBuilder11.5 developer.
Is there any future in Powerbuilder language.
Upto my knowledge day by day companies are converting powerbuilder applications to different languagaes.It looks like in coming time powerbuilder will die and there were no jobs for powerBuilder developers.
Can anybody tell me is it right to stay in PowerBuilder jobs OR time to look for some other option..?
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July 18, 2010 at 10:12 PM (UTC -5)
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Charles Seeley says:
July 16, 2010 at 9:39 AM (UTC -5)
I agree with your assessment that PowerBuilder got a bad rep from all the bad developers out there. I contracted for one large company that had taken a dozen Cobol programmers and given them a weeks training in PowerBuilder. They were building windows with a single very large user defined event (many thousands of lines) that was triggered by almost every action a user could take.
Not sure if bad developers is what killed it though. I think there are plenty of bad developers using .Net these days.
Sybase marketing, lack of direction, and clumsy web service integration is what killed PowerBuilder. And although there were other related products that would allow published content, these were never properly integrated into the core product. .Net/IIS and java/apache have dominated this area for the last decade.
Dana says:
August 13, 2010 at 1:06 PM (UTC -5)
I have an immediate opening for a powerbuilder developer who has to of worked in PB environment for at least the last 2 years with versions 9 and 10. Do you know anybody who might be interested? This position is in austin texas.
Rich Bianco (DisplacedGuy) says:
November 13, 2010 at 9:34 AM (UTC -5)
Thanks very much for the comment Charles. You have a good point, I think Sybase marketing really dropped the ball. They had a product that was better than anything on the market and they still couldn’t sell it.
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July 7, 2010 at 5:43 AM (UTC -5)
I started with PB3 and practically learned everything on my own. I recommended PB to quite a few big corporate and they loved it so much that they sticked to it at least until PB8/9. That’s when web-based applications were so much in demand and PB couldn’t live up to that demand (at least not in this part of the world). The technology has become too sophisticated and discouraged many potential newbies. Worst, all new grads are equipped with either Java/PHP or .Net skills. Later version of PB (glaringly) like PB10 and 11 are really half cooked products and questions in the newsgroup go mostly unanswered or given a lousy workaround. I love PB then but my love is dying with every new release of it. PB12 seems to rock they say but I don’t have the dough to acquire it. Even an eveluation copy has to be asked from the sales team instead of download freely like everything else. Ahhh… so sad!!
DisplacedGuy says:
July 9, 2010 at 11:47 AM (UTC -5)
I hear you 100% – Watch my blog over the next few weeks… I’m learning a new tool that has me as excited as I was about PowerBuilder back in the 90′s. I’ve tried just about every tool out there lately and nothing really hits it home like PowerBuilder did. Well, I’m evaluating a tool called WaveMaker and so far I am impressed, actually I am more than impressed, I’m really fired up about it. I’ll be attending the WaveMaker Training course next week and plan on doing a couple articles about WaveMaker and how WaveMaker might be the next PowerBuilder for the web. Have you tried WaveMaker? If you do, tell them I sent you over there– I’m trying to recruit former PB developers for WaveMaker, they really value us PB developers and they have treated me VERY great so I want them to know I appreciate it and they will treat you good. Say Rich from DisplacedGuy sent you over and you’ll see how it is to be treated like a customer. Not that Sybase doesn’t value me… but I just don’t feel the love with Sybase and after committing my life to them (almost) I’d expect a certain level of loyalty.
DisplacedGuy says:
July 9, 2010 at 11:50 AM (UTC -5)
Oh, the link is WaveMaker – The next PowerBuilder for Ajax and Web Applications. This programming tool is amazing so far — I’m going to register on WaveMaker Developers Community under the user id: RichBianco, join me!??
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