PFXplus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PFXplus (also known as POWERflex) is a fourth generation computer language. It originated in the late-1980s as a superset of Dataflex 2.3b. Like Dataflex it is the language for an application development environment having both a database and user interface. Originally PFXplus tracked the features of Dataflex, but is now a substantially different language (and product).
PFXplus is produced by Powerflex Corporation of Melbourne, Australia.
Contents |
[edit] Dataflex Copyright
| Powerflex Services Pty Ltd v Data Access Corporation | |
| Australia coa.png | |
| Federal Court of Australia | |
| Full case name | Data Access Corporation v Powerflex Services Pty Ltd, Powerflex Corporation Pty Ltd, David Meredith Bennett, Margaret Ann Bennett and Demileigh Pty Limited [1996] FCA 1225 (9 February 1996) |
|---|---|
| Date decided | February, 1996 |
| Citations | TSz Lawyers - Powerflex Services Pty Ltd v Data Access Corporation (1997-06-04). Retrieved on 2008-01-18. |
| Transcripts | Federal Court transcript |
| Judges sitting | Jenkinson J |
| Case history | |
| Prior actions: | None |
| Subsequent actions: | Appeal to High Court |
| Powerflex Services Pty Ltd v Data Access Corporation (Appeal) | |
| Australia coa.png | |
| Australian High Court | |
| Full case name | Powerflex Services Pty Ltd v Data Access Corporation [1997] FCA 490 (4 June 1997) |
|---|---|
| Date decided | 4th June 1997 |
| Citations | TSz Lawyers - Powerflex Services Pty Ltd v Data Access Corporation (1997-06-04). Retrieved on 2008-01-18. |
| Transcripts | Australian High Court Transcript |
| Judges sitting | Black CJ, Hill J and Sundberg J |
| Case history | |
| Prior actions: | Federal Court |
| Subsequent actions: | None |
| Case opinions | |
| TSZ Opinion | |
Powerflex developed PFXPlus originally by reverse engineering Dataflex.
In 1996 - 1997 Dataflex accused Powerflex of breaching its copyrights by duplicating the commands and restricted words in their product. The Australian High Court in a judgment on June 4, 1997 rejected the accusation and determined that the language used to run a program is not the program and not subject to copyright[1]. This bought Australian practice into line with US law.
[edit] Platforms and Operating Systems
Like Dataflex, PFXplus was available for the MS-DOS and OS/2 operating systems. It is now available in the following variants.
- As a console mode application for Microsoft Windows and most Unix variants (notably Linux)
- As a GUI development language and environment for Microsoft Windows only.
- With support for a built-in ISAM database, Btrieve, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle and other relational databases.
[edit] Language features
The PFXplus language differentiates itself from other programming languages in the following ways:
- Powerful macro processor
- Variables are strongly typed but freely converted
- Dates and BCD numbers are native types
- Database and user interface fields appear as variables in the language
- Imperative, procedural, object-oriented, event driven and fourth-generation features
- Built in expression evaluator
- Run-time loadable library modules (units)
- Code compiles to an intermediate threaded code
