Derby-based Microlex Plc reckons it has come up with a dream package for Windows application developers’ dreams with GUIDE, its Graphical User Interface Development Environment. The system, which was originally designed for the company’s own development purposes, eliminates the need to acquire a wide variety of tools from several suppliers by providing a comprehensive range of Windows program generation facilities at a stroke. It includes entity relationship database design tools, a menu designer, form and screen design tools, interactive multi-dimensional graphics, comprehensive font and colour palette controls, bitmap sequencing, integrated table and spreadsheet tool, report generation and project management facilities. It also includes an integral ‘Basic-like’ proprietary language, as Microlex puts it, for applications needing more than the built-in features offer. The company reckons the forms design tool is perhaps the most important feature of the system, enabling users to manipulate application screens by pointing and clicking, including painting in controls such as list boxes or edit screens. Forms can contain up to 255 controls in a different fonts and colours. While it enables users to create complex and powerful programs, GUIDE requires much lower skill levels than complex C-based development projects, Microlex says. Also, it is run-time licence-free, so saving users money as well as time. It is NetWare network-compatible, and will be upgradable to Pen Windows and Windows NT; a four-user version is UKP12,000. Minimum requirements are an 80386 processor, 10Mb hard disk, 3Mb memory, MS-DOS 3.3 or above and 80386 Enhanced Mode Windows. The system will be given an official airing at the upcoming Windows Show in London and will be available from Microlex after then.
Continental Europe
The company says that it would like to hearfrom potential partners interested in writing translations of the system, in the hope that they can push the new product in continental Europe. GUIDE is targeted at system houses developing Windows software, and large corporates where end users are involved in application development. Microlex reckons it would make a useful complement to its Professional Adviser System, used as a point of sale system by over 2,000 reps. The company re-developed the system iself using GUIDE and says insurance companies will similarly be able to develop their own applications using the two systems. Eight-year-old Microlex has traditionally served large companies in vertical markets such as insurance and retail where its customers include Barclays Financial Services, Hill Samuel Financial Services, Rank Xerox, Rolls Royce and British Gas.
