DBFree 2.1 RC 9.0.998c

DBFree is a straight forward software designed to publish data-driven web applications on the web, packaged with a pre-configured web site (running on Xitami web server) that can run active web pages written in MAXSIS's own implementation of xBase (MaxScript), a programming language offering most of the commands and functions of the original Clipper 87.

DBFree is derived from MAXSIS's commercial product DBMAX, of whose retain almost a complete compatibility, and works as live interpreter, like the famous PHP command processor, but instead of using PHP language is built to read and executing plain xBase code embedded inside web pages and rendering live content.

DBFree - like PHP - adds an intermediate layer of interpretation to web pages, situated between HTML and Javascript, so that web pages written in HTML (and eventually Javascript) can also contain Xbase commands and functions, embedded in the HTML code, and even in Javascript text. Unlike PHP, DBFree is already enabled to access its data sources without need to install any other software.

This way you can add xBase capabilities to web pages, processing all elements inside the page and adding live data taken from database sources as DBF tables or ODBC compliant external sources.

To do so these pages must be identified by the .msp extension (acronym for “Max Script Processor”): then is up to the web browser to pass these MaxScript pages to MaxScript processor and retrieve the results, before further processing. The operating system sits beside this process, that involves only the web server software and the MaxScript interpreter.

The DBFree installation does not need to deal with Window's registry, doesn't need to install anything else than its own files, doesn't change anything on the host and don't require to install anything on client's web browser. Cookies are not necessary.

Different web browsers behave slightly different each other: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome all have their peculiar idiosincracy about how to display HTML code (not to mention Javascript features): DBFree behavior instead is identical on all system, because the interpreter is running on the web server, not in the browser, providing full-fledged “server side scripting”.

Adversely Javascript and HTML are interpreted at runtime on client's computer by user's browser: this is called “client side scripting”. While this move the load of the application to client's CPU one of the main disadvantages of client side scripting is that the user can always access web application source code and depict application logic, because it is always provided to client's browser for execution, and thus is always visible using the source code viewer of the browser.

MaxScript reads and intercepts Xbase instructions embedded in HTML code and process them before to pass back the page to the browser.The page is then passed back as plain text, without any source code, but with the manipulation results (being database extractions or text, number o date manipulation) placed in the exact point where the Xbase code was encountered inside the page submitted.

From web server's perspective the page manipulated by the MaxScript interpreter is by all extents a normal HTML page, with nothing special in it. Everything was written in it before MaxScript processing is written off and substituted by the results of Xbase program logic.

DBFree is aimed to programmers (apprentices or experienced), to corporate power users or part-time developers, and in general to anyone willing to learn programming and building database driven applications for the web without get involved into complex database developing software and sterminated APIs of today.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· New engine, Command prompt, unlimited users, ODBC-FoxPro-Clipper drivers