VP-Info is a database language and compiler for the

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

. VP-Info was a competitor to the Clipper and dBase applications in the late 1980s and 1990s. VP-Info runs on

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

DR-DOS DR-DOS (written as DR DOS, without a hyphen, in versions up to and including 6.0) is a disk operating system for IBM PC compatibles. Upon its introduction in 1988, it was the first DOS attempting to be compatible with IBM PC DOS and MS-D ...

and the

PC-MOS/386 PC-MOS/386 is a multi-user, multitasking computer operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating ...

operating system. The last release of VP-Info was named Shark.

Origin

In the early 1980s, David Clark met George Gratzer, a mathematics professor at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.dBase II dBase (also stylized dBASE) was one of the first database management systems for microcomputers and the most successful in its day. The dBase system includes the core database engine, a query system, a forms engine, and a programming language ...

, but was frustrated by its limitations for reporting on more than 2 tables at a time. While working for Standard Knitting (a client of Gratzer's and Clark's), David wrote a report generator called ''dComp'' that would allow up to six related data files to be in use at one time and run faster than the slow, ''dBase II''. Clark and Gratzer subsequently formed a partnership in a company called "Sub Rosa" that developed dComp into a full dBase II compatible language/database called ''Max'' that had more speed and "power tools" than even dBase III contained. Clark designed and developed the program while Gratzer wrote the reference and tutorial manuals. This product was published by Paperback Software and sold over 30,000 copies (worldwide) in 1987 alone. The published reference manual for VP-Info was over 900 pages and the program was distributed in an extra thick back cover which was an innovation for all Paperback Software products at that time. For programmers, ''Max'' had several interesting capabilities, including the ability to change field names easily, to represent fields in array form, automatically execute code while moving from field to field and many tools like cross tabs. With its built-in editor, a programmer could go from edit to executing the program in 2 keystrokes and back to editing the program with just 2 more.

Marketing

Paperback Software International Ltd. acquired worldwide marketing rights to ''Max'' and launched it as ''VP-Info'' in 1986. Lotus Development Corp. objected to some of the features of VP-Planner 3D, a Lotus look-alike with a number of features beyond those of 1-2-3, and sued Paperback Software for copyright infringement in 1989. Though the lawsuit ultimately failed in the courts, Paperback Software eventually folded following the litigations. Sub Rosa Inc. reacquired worldwide distribution rights to ''VP-Info'' shortly before it entered bankruptcy. Bursten and an associate, Bernie Melman of Toronto, established Sub Rosa Publishing Inc. in Toronto and Sub Rosa Corporation in Minneapolis and attempted to get ''VP-Info'' back into distribution. Since the name belonged to the bankrupt Paperback Software, however, they had to give it yet another name, and ''Shark'' (or ''Sharkbase'') was introduced in 1992 as an upgrade to ''VP-Info''.

Technical

''VP-Info'' can read and write all the common dBase/Clipper file formats, as well as exchange data with OpenOffice. ''VP-Info'' can read and write any type of dbf files (e.g. dBase II, III, IV, Clipper) at the same time. Unlike the older dBase file formats, ''VP-Info'' dbf files can have an unlimited number of records. ''VP-Info'' has a built-in compiler for fast execution. Like many DOS applications, ''VP-Info'' is available for free download. An online User's Manual for the latest distribution of ''VP-Info'', ''SharkBase'', is still maintained. ''VP-Info'', and subsequent ''SharkBase'' versions, can run on 32-bit or 64-bit Windows, using a virtual machine or emulator to provide a usable environment. It has been reported that both ''VP-Info'' and ''Shark'' run under the latest Windows versions using vDOS, a fork of the

DOSBox DOSBox is a free and open-source emulator which runs software for MS-DOS compatible disk operating systems—primarily video games. It was first released in 2002, when DOS technology was becoming obsolete. Its adoption for running DOS games i ...

MS-DOS emulator, and it can also run on multi-user/multi-tasking systems with NetBIOS over TCP/IP such as ''vDOS''.vDOS: https://www.vdos.info/ VP-Info dbf files can be opened, modified and saved by both ''OpenOffice Calc'' and ''LibreOffice Calc''. The vDOS emulator offers access to all hardware output (printer) ports on the hosting Windows system, unlike DOSbox.

References

{{xBase Proprietary database management systems 1986 software