<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
is	O
a	O
database	O
language	O
and	O
compiler	O
for	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
was	O
a	O
competitor	O
to	O
the	O
Clipper	O
and	O
dBase	B-Application
applications	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
and	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
intended	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
DR-DOS	B-Application
and	O
the	O
PC-MOS/386	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
,	O
but	O
now	O
is	O
run	O
in	O
the	O
vDOS	O
,	O
Windows	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
release	O
of	O
VP-Info	B-Application
,	O
a	O
multi-tasking	O
,	O
multi-user	O
version	O
released	O
in	O
1992	O
was	O
named	O
SharkBase	O
,	O
or	O
simply	O
"	O
Shark	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
1980s	O
,	O
David	O
Clark	O
met	O
George	O
Gratzer	O
,	O
a	O
mathematics	O
professor	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Manitoba	O
,	O
at	O
ComputerLand	O
in	O
Winnipeg	O
where	O
Gratzer	O
was	O
looking	O
for	O
someone	O
who	O
could	O
program	O
in	O
dBase	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clark	O
had	O
been	O
using	O
dBase	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
frustrated	O
by	O
its	O
limitations	O
for	O
reporting	O
on	O
more	O
than	O
2	O
tables	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
working	O
for	O
Standard	O
Knitting	O
(	O
a	O
client	O
of	O
Gratzer	O
's	O
and	O
Clark	O
's	O
)	O
,	O
David	O
wrote	O
a	O
report	O
generator	O
called	O
dComp	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
up	O
to	O
six	O
related	O
data	O
files	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
use	O
at	O
one	O
time	O
and	O
run	O
faster	O
than	O
the	O
slow	O
,	O
dBase	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clark	O
and	O
Gratzer	O
subsequently	O
formed	O
a	O
partnership	O
in	O
a	O
company	O
called	O
"	O
Sub	O
Rosa	O
"	O
that	O
developed	O
dComp	O
into	O
a	O
full	O
dBase	B-Application
II	I-Application
compatible	O
language/database	O
called	O
Max	O
that	O
had	O
more	O
speed	O
and	O
"	O
power	O
tools	O
"	O
than	O
even	O
dBase	B-Application
III	I-Application
contained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
published	O
reference	O
manual	O
for	O
VP-Info	B-Application
was	O
over	O
900	O
pages	O
and	O
the	O
program	O
was	O
distributed	O
in	O
an	O
extra	O
thick	O
back	O
cover	O
which	O
was	O
an	O
innovation	O
for	O
all	O
Paperback	O
Software	O
products	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paperback	O
Software	O
International	O
Ltd	O
.	O
acquired	O
worldwide	O
marketing	O
rights	O
to	O
Max	O
and	O
launched	O
it	O
as	O
VP-Info	B-Application
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lotus	O
Development	O
Corp	O
.	O
objected	O
to	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
VP-Planner	O
3D	O
,	O
a	O
Lotus	O
look-alike	O
with	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
features	O
beyond	O
those	O
of	O
1-2-3	B-Application
,	O
and	O
sued	O
Paperback	O
Software	O
for	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sub	O
Rosa	O
Inc	O
.	O
reacquired	O
worldwide	O
distribution	O
rights	O
to	O
VP-Info	B-Application
shortly	O
before	O
it	O
entered	O
bankruptcy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bursten	O
and	O
an	O
associate	O
,	O
Bernie	O
Melman	O
of	O
Toronto	O
,	O
established	O
Sub	O
Rosa	O
Publishing	O
Inc	O
.	O
in	O
Toronto	O
and	O
Sub	O
Rosa	O
Corporation	O
in	O
Minneapolis	O
and	O
attempted	O
to	O
get	O
VP-Info	B-Application
back	O
into	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
name	O
belonged	O
to	O
the	O
bankrupt	O
Paperback	O
Software	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
they	O
had	O
to	O
give	O
it	O
yet	O
another	O
name	O
,	O
and	O
Shark	O
(	O
or	O
Sharkbase	O
)	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
1992	O
as	O
an	O
upgrade	O
to	O
VP-Info	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
can	O
read	O
and	O
write	O
all	O
the	O
common	O
dBase/Clipper	O
file	O
formats	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
exchange	O
data	O
with	O
OpenOffice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
can	O
read	O
and	O
write	O
any	O
type	O
of	O
dbf	O
files	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
dBase	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
III	O
,	O
IV	O
,	O
Clipper	O
)	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
older	O
dBase	B-Application
file	O
formats	O
,	O
VP-Info	B-Application
dbf	O
files	O
can	O
have	O
an	O
unlimited	O
number	O
of	O
records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
has	O
a	O
built-in	O
compiler	O
for	O
fast	O
execution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
many	O
DOS	O
applications	O
,	O
VP-Info	B-Application
is	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
online	O
User	O
's	O
Manual	O
for	O
the	O
latest	O
distribution	O
of	O
VP-Info	B-Application
,	O
SharkBase	O
,	O
is	O
still	O
maintained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
,	O
and	O
subsequent	O
SharkBase	O
versions	O
,	O
can	O
run	O
on	O
32-bit	O
or	O
64-bit	O
Windows	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
virtual	O
machine	O
or	O
emulator	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
usable	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
reported	O
that	O
both	O
VP-Info	B-Application
and	O
Shark	O
run	O
under	O
the	O
latest	O
Windows	O
versions	O
using	O
vDOS	O
,	O
a	O
fork	O
of	O
the	O
DOSBox	B-Application
MS-DOS	B-Application
emulator	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
can	O
also	O
run	O
on	O
multi-user/multi	O
-tasking	O
systems	O
with	O
NetBIOS	O
over	O
TCP/IP	O
such	O
as	O
vDOS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
dbf	O
files	O
can	O
be	O
opened	O
,	O
modified	O
and	O
saved	O
by	O
both	O
OpenOffice	O
Calc	O
and	O
LibreOffice	O
Calc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
vDOS	O
emulator	O
offers	O
access	O
to	O
all	O
hardware	O
output	O
(	O
printer	O
)	O
ports	O
on	O
the	O
hosting	O
Windows	O
system	O
,	O
unlike	O
DOSbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
VP-Info	B-Application
was	O
produced	O
in	O
several	O
different	O
versions	O
:	O
VP-Info	B-Application
Level	O
1	O
,	O
SR-Info	O
,	O
VP-Info	B-Application
Professional	O
,	O
VP-Info	B-Application
Professional	O
Network	O
Edition	O
,	O
SharkBase	O
,	O
and	O
SharkBase	O
Network	O
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
are	O
moderately	O
compatible	O
except	O
for	O
VP-Info	B-Application
Level	O
1	O
(	O
because	O
it	O
's	O
the	O
oldest	O
and	O
"	O
least	O
perfect	O
"	O
version	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Network	O
Editions	O
which	O
depend	O
on	O
NetBios	O
for	O
networking	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
