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"A bright future for your legacy applications!"

Yo! Forms
Yo! Reports
Yo! Developer
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Frequently asked questions

The software environment

Do I still have to use Oracle Application Server® / Web Logic® to run my Forms / Reports / PL/SQL® applications?

No. You can use any server that supports JEE6 Enterprise Java®. This includes Oracle Application Server / Web Logic, but also a choice of free / open source servers such as Apache Tomcat®.

What Java environment do you recommend?

We are using Apache Tomcat for development purposes, but you should be able to use any standards-compliant JEE6 application server.

What versions of Forms are supported?

In our first release we support Forms versions 4.5, 5, 6i and 9i-11g. We will later add support for earlier versions such as Forms 2 and 3, since there are still numerous applications in use based on these old and unsupported versions.

So I can use Forms 4.5, 5 and 6i applications over the Internet?

Yes. Using YoForms, existing 4.5, 5 and 6i applications work over the Internet without alteration - and integrate them with 10g / 11g applications too.

Do you support Reports as well as Forms?

Yes, this functionality is contained in YoReports. YoReports will be released together with YoForms, since forms and reports are often combined within applications.

Have I got to go on using Oracle tools for development and maintenance?

No. Our YoDeveloper product offers a far richer, more powerful development environment (see below).

Do you offer client-server versions of your YoServer products?

No. We think most users want to be able to run (and develop) their applications over the Internet. Also, there are considerable advantages in a server-based deployment. Of course, you can also use YoServer products over a local network - you do not have to deploy over the Internet if you do not want to.

The user experience

Can I run my Forms / Reports applications over the Internet from my browser?

Yes, provided that your browser is reasonably up-to-date, and standards-compliant. This applies to all supported Forms versions - currently 4.5 to 11g. Support is currently focused on the three most popular browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome.

Do Forms / Reports applications run through a browser plug-in, like Oracle Forms 9i-11g?

No. Your applications are rendered to your browser as pure HTML and Javascript.

Can I run my Forms / Reports applications on my mobile device?

Yes - provided that your mobile device includes a fully-featured web browser.

What is the effect on performance?

You should experience an improvement in performance, with quicker response times, as our software runs faster than Oracle's. Database accesses will not be speeded up, however, so performance improvements will be less obvious for database-intensive forms and applications. Actual performance will also depend on the speed of your Internet connection, and server response times.

What about browser performance? My browser often runs very slowly when running script-heavy pages!

All the 'hard work' that drives YoServer products is done on the server. The HTML / JavaScript that drives your browser is light-weight by design and uses a restricted set of simple, widely supported tags and methods. This makes your applications quick and efficient to download and execute.

Is the 'look and feel' updated?

Yes. Actually we offer choice of look and feel: 6i on Windows XP®, 9i-11g (similar to existing Oracle plug-in). We also plan to create our own YoForms look and feel, and special touch-screen look and feels for mobile platforms including Apple® and Android®.

This means that you can make your 6i apps look like 11g, and the other way round - if that's what you want to do.

There's some really annoying bugs I've been waiting for years for Oracle to fix. Will you fix them?

Yes. Because the entire YoServer suite is written from the ground up in Java, its easy for us to 'get it right as we go' and fix the bugs, including the ones that Oracle finds so tricky!

Can I still use function keys to manipulate a running form?

Yes. All your function keys should continue to work exactly as before.

I'm getting fed up with FRM-902xx error messages - do these go away under YoForms?

You can say goodbye to most of these annoying messages arising from problems in the Oracle applet (10g / 11g only). However a small number of similar errors may still arise - like FRM-92020 "target URL rejected by browser".

The developer viewpoint

So I just load up my .fmb, .mmb and other files to the server and run the application under YoForms / YoReports?

Yes. You also have to configure the database connection, and select preferences, for example your choice of look-and-feel.

I want to maintain my forms source as XML. Is that supported?

Yes, you can maintain your source as XML if you prefer, and this is the best format for YoDeveloper. In many ways XML is preferable as it is a plain text format that allows you to record version information, and is compatible with numerous versioning / source control tools.

What if I want to run my application off the database?

Yes, we support that too. Actually this is a smart move as the database will take care of many important things for you, including security, regular backups, source code control and distribution. If you keep your application on the database this is best done as XML, allowing you to use the powerful capabilities of Oracle's XML DB for source interrogation, editing, management and control.

Is debugging improved?

Yes - massively. YoDeveloper includes a line-by-line debugger so you can precisely track the operation of a form or report, and quickly identify problems.

How long does it take to test out a 'tweak' on a form?

Using YoDeveloper's 'live-editing' capability, you can test out the effect of an adjustment to a form as soon as you have made it. This speed of response enables a significant productivity increase while creating or editing forms.

I like the sound of that 'live-editing' - how does it work?

You can be editing code in YoDeveloper in one browser window, while running your application in another. When you save / apply your changes, they are immediately reflected in the application - without even having to refresh your screen.

Can I still use the Java Beans I have used to extend my forms?

Yes. Your Java Beans appear in your forms just as they do already. The Java classes needed to make them run are downloaded to the browser automatically when needed. There is no need to install JInitiator (or anything like it), but you do need to have Java installed on the client computer.

I'm currently upgrading my Forms 6i applications to 9i /10g / 11g. Need I bother?

No. If you intend to deploy your 6i application using YoForms, then there's no need to modernise to 9i-11g as all these versions run equally well in YoForms.

Can I integrate my various applications which use different versions of Forms?

Yes, all your applications in different Forms / Reports versions can be brought together and run from a single menu. They can also be given a single look and feel.

What happens to all the PL/SQL® that's embedded in my application?

We run it using our own PL/SQL compiler / runtime. Because it is written in pure Java it runs about twice as fast as Oracle's PL/SQL.

What about the PL/SQL in my stored procedures?

This PL/SQL runs on the database and it will continue to run just the same as it did before.

I would like to be able to vary the number of displayed records at runtime. Do you support this?

Yes, so many people are asking for this that we will include it in the first release.

Are you including other new features?

Our first priority is to create an efficient, stable software engine to render Forms / Reports / PL/SQL applications fast and accurately - but without the bugs. Having achieved that, we will be led by our users and partners in terms of where our products go next.

So will you fix all the bugs in the Oracle Forms / Reports software?

Yes, we will fix the bugs. But we will also reproduce Oracle's bugs to allow applications to run exactly as before. Then it will be up to you to turn bug-fixes on or off in your configuration.

Can I program function keys to do what I want?

Yes. Function keys will inherit standard function key mappings from the chosen look and feel, but these can all be overridden.

Does it make sense to develop new applications for YoForms / YoReports?

Yes. Oracle Forms / Reports is in many ways a wonderful system, that allows skilled developers to quickly construct powerful, secure, mission critical applications. However it is let down by poor Internet deployment, inadequate support, non-existent bug-fixes, and the lack of new features. Now those weaknesses are eliminated at a stroke, placing YoForms, YoReports and YoDeveloper centre stage for the development of high-end web systems in e-commerce, e-government, social networking and cloud computing.

Database

Do YoServer products connect to Oracle database in the same way?

No. We use JDBC to connect to the database, while Oracle Forms uses dedicated database connections. Connection pooling is also available within YoServer products. One effect is that you are likely to need fewer database connections.

Do you support Oracle XE®?

Yes. If you can run your current application on Oracle XE (Oracle's free, size-limited and function-restricted database), you can also use XE when running or developing the application in a YoServer environment. Even if you are not using XE currently you may be able to do so under YoServer. The main restrictions on XE are: an overall size limit of 4GB; and single-CPU operation.

Do you support databases other than Oracle?

We do not provide explicit support for non-Oracle databases. This is because Forms uses many features specific to Oracle database which are not found in other databases - like ROWID. To use a non-Oracle database you are likely to need to rewrite many of your SQL queries. This is not a service we provide, however we have specialist partners who do.

But might you support other databases in the future?

If significant demand emerges to support other databases, that is a future possibility. Some Oracle-specific database functionality can be replicated in software. We could also support the development of new applications in YoForms / YoReports that avoid features specific to Oracle database, and will therefore work on other databases. But this will all depend on user demand.

Does YoForms support record locking?

Yes. Full record locking is implemented, reproducing all the locking options offered in Oracle Forms, including multi-user support.

Cutting costs

How much does YoForms / YoReports / YoDeveloper cost?

We will offer a significant cost saving relative to Oracle licenses. Full details will be published on our website prior to our initial release. However our main purpose is to offer a superior software platform on which to deploy applications - so that users are principally motivated to switch to our products based on quality and features.

Do you offer both 'named user' and 'processor' licenses, like Oracle?

Yes - mainly because this allows easy comparison with Oracle license terms and costs. However there are some important differences:

Can I save money on middleware licenses?

If you are on a server-based version of Forms (such as 10g), you will no longer need to run Oracle Application Server or Web Logic in order to deploy your Forms / Reports applications. This may save money, but will depend on the details of your specific licenses and software configuration.

Can I save money on developer licenses?

YoDeveloper is a server-based application that itself runs on YoForms, rendering to the browser. Under our licensing model, a YoDeveloper user counts just like any other YoServer user, and can also be included under a 'virtual processor' license. Given Oracle's high charges for Forms / Reports developer licenses, this may offer significant savings.

Can I save money on database connections?

Connection pooling is provided as standard. This should provide more eficient use of system resources, however Oracle licensing policies mean that few if any users will reduce licensing costs.

Can I save money on hardware?

YoForms and YoReports have a very light memory footprint compared to Oracle Forms / Reports, and demand fewer CPU cycles to execute operations. Using YoServer products you should therefore be able to achieve either:

What other cost implications should I bear in mind?

The greatest benefit is that your existing Oracle applications now enjoy a bright future in terms of support, maintenance and new features - and the huge economic and intellectual investment embodied in your applications can continue to power your organisation into the future.

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