

Double Helix re-emerged as Helix Express at Helix Technologies, marketed as a performance leader as opposed to "easy to use". In 1992 Odesta split up, with the original Helix applications being spun off.
#HELIX RADE MAC#
However it wasn't long before the average Mac could outperform a minicomputer, the popularity of the VAX faded, and the product was never a major success.

The company also released a number of related 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 and money working on a version known as Remote Helix which ran the basic Helix development system on top of VAX based databases.
#HELIX RADE FULL VERSION#
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 installed, as well as MultiUser Helix which operated in a client–server fashion. In comparison, the original Helix produced applications that were clearly 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 in "stand-alone" applications. In May 1986, Odesta released Double Helix. In spite of these initial limitations, Helix was already a very powerful and fully relational database that migrated easily as machines became faster and more powerful and storage options evolved to the cavernous tools taken for granted today.

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. This configuration left little room for applications or data. Users initially ran Helix from a floppy disk with Helix installed on the "system disk," which was where the operating system lived before the age of hard disk storage began. Originally created by Odesta Corporation of Northbrook, IL in 1983 on the original Macintosh, Helix debuted to rave reviews when it was first released in late 1984.Īt that time the Mac only supported 440kB floppy disks as storage. 3 Limitations of Helix Visual Programming.
