File Extension DB3

File type: dBASE III File

About the DB3 file type:

If Windows cannot find the appropriate program associated with .DB3 files, then your registry may have errors. Check your Windows registry for errors (includes file association errors).

The DB3 file extension is associated with the dBASE III DBMS (Database Management System) application. This software is considered as one of the first broadly deployed database programs for the microcomputer market and was released for the Apple Macintosh, Apple II, VMS, UNIX, and IBM PC under the DOS environment where it became an industry standard and one of the best selling titles of all time. The problem encountered by the DB3 file extension supported software was its slow adaption to the Microsoft Windows standard which translated to its loss in market share as it was quickly gobbled up by its competitors like FoxPro, Clipper, Paradox, and Microsoft Access. During the 1980s, xBase (dialects of the dBASE application) proliferated in the industry under applications like dbFast, Quicksilver, dbXL, CodeBse, Arago, and FlagShip among others. Majority of these applications were founded on the structure and functionality provided by the DB3 file extension and its corresponding DBMS software. This file extension is likewise closely related to the DBF format which eventually became the dBASE standard and proved to be its legacy to the computing world.


Detailed information for file extension DB3

Category: Database File
File format: Proprietary
Open with Windows: dBASE III
Open with Linux: Dbview
The original developers of the dBASE program was C. Wayne Ratliff who created the database application, Vulcan in reference to the Star Trek character Mr. Spock as part of an office football pool bet. This program was created for his IMSAI 8080 (kit-built) microcomputer running on the PTDOS. The JPLDIS (Jet Propulsion Laboratory Display Information System), a mainframe database application for the Univac 1108 served as the foundation for the dBASE application. The choice primarily was due to the simplicity and command driven interface of the programming language which delivered interactive usage for printing terminals. The name dBASE was officially adopted in 1980 when Ratliff entered into a marketing contract with Ashton-Tate and became an instant success in the programming market. The different versions of the dBASE application carried different file types with the DB3 file extension being utilized by the dBASE III variant. Eventually, the database program was standardized with the DBF format along with the use of the DBT file type for its memo field.