4D for OCI, a new 4D plug-in allowing 4D to communicate with Oracle Servers using the Oracle Call Interface (OCI) is now available from 4D, Inc., which publishes the WebSTAR Server Suite, a popular integrated suite of Internet server applications that provide Web, mail and FTP service, security, database connectivity and more.
Use 4D for OCI, and your 4D applications can access both an Oracle database’s structure and data, according to Brendan Coveney, president and CEO of 4D. 4D for OCI is currently available for Windows. Following Oracle’s public announcement of OCI 8’s future ability to run on Mac OS X, 4D, Inc. also committed to the development of a Mac OS X version of 4D for OCI, he added.
“4D for OCI offers 4D developers the opportunity to apply the GUI-rich, multi-tasking 4D environment to the enterprised Oracle server,” Coveney said in announcing the product. “This exact combination of technologies affords a unique and distinctive advantage for 4D developers who want to grow and integrate their applications with the enterprise.”
By allowing a completely native access to Oracle servers, 4D for OCI provides a development model where 4D and 4D Server can act as technically-savvy Oracle clients, he added. With client access to Oracle servers, 4D applications can then choose to localize, distribute, or synchronize data between 4D and Oracle servers.
“With the use of 4D processes, 4D applications can even connect simultaneously to multiple Oracle servers,” Coveney said. “Application elegance is further enhanced through the graphically-rich, flexible forms tools found in 4D, that turn raw ORACLE data into cohesive and intuitive information for users.”
In May 4D Inc. announced that it’ll release the native Mac OS X upgrade to 4D 6.7 products for free, to registered 4D 6.7 product owners. 4D Inc. makes relational database and rapid application development systems. Coveney said his company is making the move as a gesture of support for Apple’s own efforts to fast track Mac OS X adoption.
“Upon release our customers’ 4D v6.7 applications running today on Mac OS 9 will run natively on Mac OS X with no changes,” said Coveney.
The upgrade itself will be offered as a free download for any registered 4D v6.7 product owners. A beta version of 4D v6.7 for Mac OS X is already in circulation to 4D partners. 4D Inc. said that its Mac OS X product rollout is planned to begin in the third quarter of this year, beginning with 4D Server 6.7 for Mac OS X.