PowerHouse (programming language): Difference between revisions

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'''PowerHouse''' is a [[Bytecode|byte-compiled]] [[fourth-generation programming language]] (or 4GL) originally produced by Quasar Corporation (later renamed [[Cognos]] Incorporated) for the [[Hewlett-Packard]] ''[[HP3000]]'' mini-computer, as well as Data General and DEC [[VAX /VMS]] computing productssystems. It was initially composed of five components:

* ''QDD, or Quasar Data Dictionary'': for building a central data dictionary used by all other components

* ''QDesign'': a character-based [[screen generator]]

* ''Quick'': an interactive, character-based screen processor (running screens generated by QDesign)

* ''Quiz'': a report writer

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== History ==

PowerHouse was introduced in 1982 and bundled together in a single product Quiz and Quick/QDesign, both of which had been previously available separately, with a new batch processor QTP. In 1983, Quasar changed its name to ''[[Cognos]] Corporation'' and began porting their application development tools to other platforms, notably [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]'s [[VAX/OpenVMS|VMS]], [[Data General]]'s [[AOS/VS II]], and [[IBM]]'s [[OS/400]], along with the [[UNIX]] platforms from these vendors. Cognos also began extending their product line with add-ons to PowerHouse (for example, ''Architect'') and end-user applications written in PowerHouse (for example, ''MultiView''). {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} Subsequent development of the product added support for platform-specific relational databases, such as HP's ''Allbase/SQL'', DEC's [[Oracle Rdb|Rdb]], and [[Microsoft]]'s [[Microsoft SQL Server|SQL Server]], as well as cross-platform relational databases such as [[Oracle Database|Oracle]], [[Sybase SQL Server|Sybase]], and [[IBM]]'s [[IBM DB2|DB2]].

The PowerHouse language represented a considerable achievement.{{According to whom|date=March 2011}} Compared with languages like [[COBOL]], [[Pascal programming language|Pascal]] and [[PL/1]], PowerHouse substantially cut the amount of labour required to produce useful applications on its chosen platforms. It achieved this through the use of a central data-dictionary, a compiled file that extended the attributes of data fields natively available in the DBMS with frequently used programming idioms such as:

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* [http://teamblue.unicomsi.com/products/powerhouse-4gl/ UNICOM Systems' Application Development Tools home page]

{{Hewlett-Packard software}}

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