Jim Starkey wrote:

> Interbase is for people with a problem to solve. I intended to
> put DBAs out of business (Ann says I should say I wanted to make
> them more productive. This isn't true.) Now I want all system
> administrators to be replaced by robots than can change tape
> cartridges.

> Interbase should be so simple to install and use that people
> will use it in preference to their VCRs. If they need to hire
> a DBA, we haven't done our job. If they need to hire a geek
> to install it, we haven't done our job. If they need a system
> administrator to tune it, we haven't done our job.

I think there is enough material there to fuel a marketing campaign well into
the next millenium.

For all that I don't think the 'job' will ever be complete. There are still too
many dependant factors - computers and O/S for starts. Then there's the capacity
for developers to completely misunderstand what they are doing. And that's all
before we even give it to the actual users.

I also think that open source is going to give developers/dbas more business.
Compile options that currently look favourite are:

Classic/Superserver
Logging: on/off
Security level: 1/2/3/whatever
JVM: on/off
WAL: on/off (it'll come)

and many more that we haven't yet dreamt of.

When I first saw Delphi it all looked so easy that I thought programmers might
be put out of business. It seemed simple enough for a boss to ask a secretary to
knock up an app during the lunch break. It was never true and since then things
have only increased in complexity.

Paul
--

Paul Reeves
Fleet River Software