Clipper was a programming language and development environment that

originated in the 1980s, designed specifically for database-driven applications.

Built on the foundation of the xBase language, which started with dBASE, Clipper
enabled developers to create robust, high-performance applications for data
management on DOS systems. It was especially popular for business applications
and was often used in small- to medium-sized enterprises for tasks such as
accounting, inventory management, and customer databases.
The Rise of Clipper
Clipper came into the spotlight in 1985 when Nantucket Corporation released it
as an advanced compiler for dBASE III code. Its primary innovation was the ability
to produce standalone executable files for DOS, which did not require an
interpreter like dBASE. This was a game-changer for performance and stability,
enabling developers to build faster and more reliable applications than what
dBASE could offer. Clipper’s popularity grew rapidly, especially among businesses
that needed custom database solutions without the overhead of mainframe
computing.
Key features that contributed to Clipper's success included:
 Speed and Efficiency: Compiling code into native executables resulted in
significantly faster applications, which was crucial for business
environments with large datasets.
 Stability and Portability: Clipper programs ran well on various DOS
systems, offering stability across different hardware environments, making
it an ideal choice for businesses with diverse setups.
 Built-In Database Support: Clipper inherited xBase-style commands
(such as USE, REPLACE, INDEX, etc.) that made it easy to manipulate
database files directly within the language, integrating seamlessly with
data-focused workflows.
 Expansive Library and Extensions: Clipper offered many third-party
libraries and add-ons, like Funcky, to extend its capabilities for networking,
user interface, and more, making it flexible and adaptable for different
business needs.
The Fall and Legacy of Clipper
Clipper enjoyed considerable popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it
began to decline as newer operating systems like Windows emerged, and the
market for DOS-based software dwindled. Windows and graphical interfaces
became the norm, while Clipper was deeply rooted in text-based DOS
environments, making it less appealing for applications that required modern
user interfaces.
Attempts to transition Clipper into the Windows world met challenges:
 Visual Development Environments: As developers and users grew
accustomed to Windows GUI applications, Clipper's command-line, text-
based applications began to feel outdated.
  Transition to Client-Server Architectures: Businesses began shifting to
client-server models, where Clipper’s design was less effective compared
to emerging relational database management systems (RDBMS) like
Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
 Competition: Languages such as Visual Basic, C++, and eventually C#
gained traction, providing richer environments and toolsets for Windows-
based development.
Visual Objects, xHarbour, and Clipper’s Influence on Modern Languages
In response to Windows' rise, Nantucket (later acquired by CA) released CA-
Visual Objects, a Windows-oriented successor to Clipper, which aimed to
provide Clipper developers with an object-oriented framework and a graphical
interface for building Windows applications. However, Visual Objects struggled to
gain the same popularity, partly due to its complexity and the rapidly changing
Windows development landscape.
Two notable Clipper-influenced projects continued Clipper’s legacy:
1. xHarbour: An open-source continuation of Clipper that extended the
language with modern features and support for Windows and Linux
platforms, enabling developers to modernize and maintain legacy Clipper
applications.
2. FiveWin: A GUI framework for Clipper applications that allowed Clipper
developers to create Windows interfaces, helping to bridge the gap
between DOS-based and Windows-based systems.
Clipper’s Lasting Influence
While Clipper itself did not directly evolve into mainstream languages like C#
or .NET, it made a lasting impact in a few significant ways:
 Influence on Database-Focused Languages: Clipper reinforced the
importance of high-performance, database-centric programming
languages, inspiring future xBase languages and SQL-based development
approaches.
 Preservation of xBase Syntax: Many of Clipper’s database commands
and syntax conventions live on in the xBase family and were carried over
into other programming ecosystems, especially in database scripting.
 Legacy Applications: Many Clipper applications continued to run well
into the 2000s, even beyond their expected lifespan, due to their stability,
speed, and usefulness, highlighting the demand for sustainable, business-
focused applications.
In retrospect, Clipper was an important transitional language. It bridged the era
between simple interpreted database systems and modern object-oriented
programming languages that could handle complex, client-server, and GUI
applications. Although largely supplanted by modern tools, Clipper’s focus on
efficient, robust, database-driven applications set a standard that influenced
subsequent generations of business software development.