I received an e-mail from a loyal reader recently complaining that the magazine was no longer "primarily about PowerBuilder." The charge is actually true and, despite the title of this column, is not particularly new. In fact, we had an editorial eight years ago explaining part of that shift (http://pbdj.sys-con.com/read/42184.htm). That shift has continued, and this editorial will explain some of the reasons for that.

While Powersoft was primarily a tools company, Sybase is a broader company. Yet what affects Sybase affects PowerBuilder. That's why the news column has been covering all of Sybase's products since at least 2000 (the furthest back I could find online articles - http://pbdj.sys-con.com/read/42251.htm). More recently, the possibility of a proxy battle or acquisition of Sybase was the topic of a couple of my recent editorials. It would be short-sighted to think that the results of either would not have an effect on the long-term viability of PowerBuilder.