Oracle Corp has introduced Oracle Card, describing it as the first portable multimedia database client for the Microsoft Corp Windows 3.0 and Apple Computer Inc Macintosh environments. Oracle Card is designed to enable programmers and lay people to build front-end applications for Oracle client-multi-server systems via a graphical user interface. It says that Oracle Card applications can run unmodified under Windows 3.0 and on the Macintosh, and can access Oracle servers on all major computer types. The product is an extension of technology from Spinnaker Plus and includes a stack builder to create stacks of card interfaces to database tables using the same stacks and card metaphors as Apple’s HyperCard; a query builder that generates SQL code graphically; a table builder; and the Oracle Talk extension of Apple’s HyperTalk. An Oracle Access interface enables applications to be built by issuing SQL and PL/SQL statements from Oracle Card scripts and SQL*Net support provides the link to Oracle databases. Versions for OS/2 Presentation Manager, NeXTStep, Open Look and Motif are planned. It is in beta test and will be out next quarter at $300.
