DBASE Mac

Article summary

dBASE Mac was a database management system for the Apple Macintosh, released by Ashton-Tate in 1987. Although the GUI was lauded in the press, the application was so slow that it became something of a joke in the industry. Sales were dismal, and Ashton-Tate eventually decided to give up on dBASE Mac and instead port dBASE IV to the Mac, complete with a DOS-like interface. The product was then sold to a series of third-party developers, but they had little success and it disappeared from the market in the mid-1990s.

Key claims

1. release date: 1987 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. release date: 1988 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. release date: 1995 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the release date is "1987". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the release date is "1988". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the release date is "1995". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1353624553