DONNAY Consulting


 

 

Who I Am - My Background

I am 64+ years old. My home and office are located in Boise, Idaho. Boise is also home to several computer industries such as Hewlett Packard, Micron, Zilog, and Sybase. I have a degree as an electrical engineer. After 8 years in the Navy as a radar and communications technician, I began my career in computer technology at Burroughs Corporation, designing Disk Drive testing equipment. In the late 1960's and early 70's, I spent time working in the hardware side of the computer industry: hand-held computer terminals, water quality instrumentation and production test equipment. I started implementing microprocessors into my test equipment projects in 1973. I started with Intel's 4004, 8008, and 8080 processors and eventually graduated to developing ASCII and ANSI computer terminals using Z80 processors. As computer peripherals project manager for MAI/Basic Four and Director of Engineering for General Terminal Corporation I gained expertise in the development of a wide variety of computer terminals, specializing in the science of ergonomics.

Although much has changed in computer hardware over the last 35 years, my experience has helped me develop programs that utilize standards of user-interface and performance which meet the requirements of mission critical applications.

In 1979, I wrote my first database application, in the BASIC language. After considering the options available, I chose Clipper as my development language. I have since written many different types of applications, but databases remain my specialty and Clipper remains the most effective database development language. To increase my speed as I developed complex and powerful database applications, I created a development tool that I called dCLIP. It has become increasingly robust over the years as I have integrated solutions to the needs of the many businesses I have consulted, as well as the solutions requested by other programmers who also use dCLIP as a development tool.

For 12 years, Clipper has provided the strongest development environment for database programmers. With the advent and market strength of Windows as an operating system, Clipper has been largely abandoned by both the company that owns it and the programmers who have used it. Because office personnel is generally familiar with the look and feel of Windows and because many older DOS applications have problems operating in Windows, business owners have wanted programs that are true Windows designs. Like other programmers, I have sought to meet the needs of my customers. However, over the past 5 years, there has not been an ideal answer. I have continually evaluated the various language options available, and have not found a language that brings the power to serious database applications that Clipper does. For this reason, I have not migrated to less effective languages. The recent introduction of XBase++ has provided the long-awaited bridge between the DOS and Windows worlds by bringing the power of Clipper to the Windows environment.

XBase++ allows the programmer to use Clipper concepts in developing the backend of the database application while providing a true Windows user-interface. Previously, a business had to choose between having an effective and powerful program that was a DOS program (it could still operate in Windows, but was not a true Windows program), or a true Windows program that looked and felt like other familiar Windows programs but was extremely slow and clumsy in dealing with data. With the advent of XBase++, a business can now have the avantages of both worlds without the traditional sacrifices of either. XBase++ also brings platform independence. Therefore, a program written in XBase++ will operate in Windows and also in Unix, OS/2, {xxx, and xxx}. Anyone who has spent thousands of dollars developing a program that ends up being a dead horse in 3 years, can appreciate the importance of this foresight on the part of the XBase++ developers.

What I Can Do For You

There are still many DOS applications in operation that need to be integrated into the Windows environment. I am dedicated to helping businesses remain productive and keep the power of their DOS systems while allowing them to integrate these programs in the Windows environment. I also develop new programs that are Windows on the front end and yet are powerful and effective in their handling of the data.

Do you need an inventory system? An invoicing system? An Internet database? An integrated factory ordering system? Xbase++ training,?

I can work with you to develop a system that will meet all your needs. I can travel to your site when necessary, but do most of my development in my own office which keeps expenses down. I set up a communication system between our offices to expedite the development process at both ends.

What It Will Cost You

I charge $60 per hour. I do not bid jobs. I work in a small office and keep things streamlined, so I am efficient. Because I use my own powerful development library eXpress++ I can cut development time even on large and complex projects.

Travel is billed differently than development time in my office and is determined on a case-by-case basis.