The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 3 (of 5)

VistaDB Experiences?

Has anyone used VistaDB?

http://www.vistadb.net/vistadb_overview.asp

I only came across it today, it's an alternative to Access and MSDE that is priced pretty well. Any good/bad experiences with this DB?

Ben Richardson
Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Ben,

This is the first time I've seen this software, but it really looks like something that would be perfect for an app I'm building. Have you heard anything about it? I was hoping someone would respond to you...

Thanks.

nathan
Sunday, November 16, 2003

I'm with VistaDB....and we're getting there. We're working hard to get a beta released before the holidays -- hopefully by mid December 2003. Everything you read on our site is accurate. I want to post even more info actually, but i don't want to overextend ourselves. Some history on VistaDB ... its been in development since 2001. We've been in the development/testing loop for nearly 8 months now, where we're finishing features and testing them (fixing bugs, retesting). The last bit of work to our SureCommit TP is being done this week, then on to Full Text Search. We have most of this technology done, its just a matter of polishing in most cases. The FTS is the last piece of the core engine. All i can ask is to please keep your eyes on our web site www.vistadb.net and get your emails on our mailing list. We will make announcements as soon as we have some interesting news to share. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask -- anthonyc "at" vistadb.net. Thanks!
Anthony Carrabino, Vista Software (makers of VistaDB)

Anthony Carrabino
Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Hi,

I am making a .NET software and I was looking for something better than Access. First, I found CodeBase. It look interresting, the price is not too high, but it doesn't seem to be entirely .NET as it seems to be more ODBC than purely .NET.
Then I found VistaDB. Seems very interresting for the price ($329) but I am a bit sceptic because of few things:
1- It is VistaDB 2.0. I tried to find any trace of VistaDB 1.x but none exist. It seems that 2.0 is in fact 1.0. That means we can get few bugs.
2- They offer a $200 rebate for pre-orders. That sounds interresting but normally, we should be able to test the product before we buy. What will be the company politics about this? Will we get a 30-day trial when the product will be fully release (not the beta one)?
3- Finally, on the site, they talk about a release in december but it seems that it will be a beta release.
Anyway, I will add my name and email to their list because I am very interrested by this product. Hope it will deliver the merchandise!

Claude Noel
Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Hi, thanks for the interest, let me comment on some points you raise:

>... I found CodeBase

You can use Apollo .NET too. But these products are xBase. CodeBase is for old legacy Clipper and FoxPro data files (DBF files). Unless you need to manage these type of files, this is not the right database for .NET. I'm being very upfront, because we make Apollo .NET (its shipping) and i'm saying that its not the future for new .NET applications. Its ideal for managing legacy xBase data.

> That means we can get few bugs.

I'm sure, as hard as we try, that we will have some issues to fix in the first few weeks of the release. All i can say is we are very focused on making VistaDB the #1 database for .NET and we are investing all of our resources in VistaDB.

> 2- They offer a $200 rebate for pre-orders.

Small correction. Its not a "rebate", its a "discount'. We are accepting $129 Pre-Orders for VistaDB 2.0, which is a savings of $200. We do not process any orders, nor do we charge any credit cards until the product is released. And yes, we extend a 30-day money back guarantee on the product. Our goal is to build long term relationships with our customers. We have over 4 years experience doing just that. We are extending this aggressive $129 offer because its a new product and we want to make affordable for .NET developers to at least try VistaDB 2.0.

>...release in december but it seems that it will be a beta release.

Correct. Based on how that release goes, we can better gauge the official release date. We plan to release officially in late January, early February.

> Anyway, I will add my name and email to their list because I am very interested by this product.

Great! We will send out an email alert as soon as we have something interesting to announce. Again, thanks for your interest.

Anthony Carrabino
Thursday, November 20, 2003

Just to follow up... VistaDB 2.0 (Beta 2) is now available for download from: http://www.vistadb.net/vistadb20_release.asp

Anthony Carrabino
Monday, April 5, 2004

Just to follow up... VistaDB 2.0 (Beta 4) is now available for download from: http://www.vistadb.net/downloads.asp

We plan to get the official 2.0 released by late August!

Anthony Carrabino
Tuesday, August 10, 2004