> I agree with you that MGA solves the problem for system crashes
> which leave a corrupted file, however, there are other problems
> that are not solved as easily:
>
> 1. Drive failure could leave you without any file. Shadowing
> or mirroring could solve this, but for a very large database
> it's quite expensive.

I wonder if Shadowing is more expensive than journaling?

If you really wanted a journal you could likely create a
solution using triggers, external files and stored procedures.
It's likely more work than its worth. Synectics', InterBase
Replication Server could likely address this problem handily.

> 2. It doesn't help for situations where human errors or acts
> of malice force you to restore the database

Human errors as in, whoops .. didn't mean to kick that power
cord - yes. Malice force?? Not sure I'd agree that is the
the responsibility of a database server. I believe that
InterBase still has the ability to take advantage of UNIX
user security. If I recall correctly, it bypasses the need
to have an entry in the security database isc4.gdb.