Helix rade software help5/15/2023 ![]() You describe the desired calculation by dragging icons representing operations and fields into the abacus' editor window, and then arrange them in a dataflow diagram. One of Helix's more interesting features was the abacus, which used a graphical system for creating calculations. Data was displayed using another series of GUI objects, at the top of the display hierarchy was the template, forms containing a saved layout and typically attached to a query. These objects included relations (tables) to hold data, indexes to improve performance, queries to find data, and the abacus for writing calculations to work on the results of a query. Icons are dragged from the left into the window would make new objects in the collection. On the left were a number of icons representing new objects that could be created, and a scrollable window on the right (known as the Relation Window) displayed the objects that the user had created. Opening a database resulted in a project window with two main parts. One fairly serious limitation of the system was that only one database could be opened at once. In Helix each database, known as a Collection, was represented in the system by a sort of "psuedo-desktop" similar to the Macintosh Finder. These two products continue to be offered today. In addition, Helix, sans database engine, was released as a free RAD tool known as Helix RADE. In 1992 Odesta split up, with the original Helix applications being spun off.ĭouble Helix re-emerged as Helix Express at Helix Technologies, marketted as a performance leader as opposed to "easy to use". However the product was never a major success, and it wasn't long before the average Mac could outperform a minicomputer. This also included a number of new tools, GeoQuery and Data Desk, for analyzing databases. The idea was to offer a Mac-like experience on "big iron" systems, a common theme in the early 1990s. Upgrades to the Helix product line were continuous during the 1980s, but the company spent a tremendous amount of time working on a version known as Remote Helix which ran the basic Helix development system on top of VAX based databases. ![]() Released as a part of a larger suite of software, the Helix suite also included a stand-alone runtime version known as RunTime Helix which would allow users to run Double Helix applications without the full version of Helix installed, as well as MultiUser Helix which operated in a client-server fashion. ![]() In comparison, the original Helix produced applications that were clearing running within Helix, much as a Microsoft Word document is clearly running inside "Word". The main new feature set allowed for the construction of custom menus and menu bars, resulting "stand-alone" applications. In May 1986 Odesta released Double Helix for $495. With a maximum database size of under 500k, Helix's data management capabilities didn't need to be all that strong, nevertheless it was a full relational database. It was assumed that users would add a second floppy for any sort of real-world use, with the OS and Helix on one floppy, and data on another. ![]() At the time the Mac only supported 440kB floppy disks as storage, shared with the operating system and leaving little room for applications or data. Originally created by Odesta Corporation in 1983 on the original Macintosh, Helix received rave reviews when it was released the next year. Today Helix is twenty years old, but still has a strong following. While this sort of ease-of-use should have made Helix a killer app on the platform, high prices, limitations in the programming system and a variety of business problems have relegated it to a niche product. Helix uses a graphical " programming language" to add logic to its applications, allowing non-programmers to construct sophisticated applications. Helix is a pioneering database management system for the Apple Macintosh platform.
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