Conversion Help Needed

From: dave johnstone (dave_at_pixieware.com)
Date: 11/10/03 

Date: 10 Nov 2003 08:44:57 -0800

Hello,

Please excuse this if this is the wrong forum.

We develop software for the PICK market and use Telnet to connect
our PixiEware software to PICK database systems.

One of our products (PixieLinkŪ) is a terminal emulator that
understands DHTML as well as the VT100 protocol. It's key purpose
is to allow the building of GRAPHICAL user interfaces (GUI)
for previously green-screen applications. Our GUI is generated by
DHTML and we provide client-side scripts that allow field-by-field,
interactive editing and server response to each data entry action,
just like traditional green-screen software. PixieLink connects
directly to PICKBasic programs. PICK Basic is a form of the Basic
programming language.

The GUI is achieved by adding HTML markup tags to PICK programs,
and the tags do much the same job as the traditional terminal
escapes. The HTML may include such things as references to other
web documents using hyperlinks, instructions for text formatting
(e.g. color, size and position) and allows the GUI to include the
full array of graphical components. NO web-server is required, and
there is no other middle-ware. Whatever a browser can do (IE &
Netscape), PixieLink can do. It's market positioning is as an
HTML emulator for testing web apps. before being deployed widely
across the internet, but it can be an internal client emulation
solution in its own right.

We are looking to move this software to other green-screen
environments that may have applications written in Business Basic,
or COBOL for example, or the DEC-VMS families of Systems+Apps.
Anything running on Unix, Linux etc should be fine.

We are aware that some systems (e.g. IBM Mainframe-based) have
proprietary networking that is not TCP/IP or fails to follow the
ASCII standard for character sets. These are no-go areas unless
they can be re-configured to run on the TCP/IP + ASCII standard.
We also have an additional software option to handle serial line
i/o if that is required.

More information on PixieLink can be found at:
http://wwwDOTpixiewareDOTcom/howitworks.htm

Please note that an application modified in the above manner for
PixieLink can be deployed across the internet by using IIS and
attaching our web component - PixieWeb, to it. It is not anticipated
that PixieLink, PixieWeb or their associated ASP scripts will
require any modification.

We wish to work with someone (individual or company) who has a
knowledge of these other environments and who will assist in making
the transition. I view this as a joint venture opportunity. I see 4
simple initial activites:
1) Ensure a good Telnet connection is made to the new environment,
2) Initial testing by writing a simple baack-server program in the
  new language,
3) Convert 3 small server-side Basic programs that translate
  positioning co-ordinates from x/y to Pixels, to another language,
4) Expanding slightly the functionality of the simple back-server
  program to utilise the converted positioning programs.

Please feel free to contact me in the first instance for further
clarification.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Dave Johnstone. (Ph: 519-571-1531)
HTML and PixieWare the new GUI for PICK
http://wwwDOTpixiewareDOTcom mailto:daveATpixiewareDOTcom