On Tue, 11 Jan 2000 16:04:52 GMT, root wrote:

>From: root <evpopkov@...>
>
>
> Rob,
>
> I have a stalled IB-related project on Linux. It's about GUI. Drop me a line
>if you want to take over or join.
> Now on other interfaces.... Shouldn't we stay mean and lean? Java is being
>dumped by Sun. Indeed, it was born dead. Active X? C'mon, it's so bloated that
>performance and stability is merely a joke with it. ODBC seems to be the only
>viable option. But, IIRC, IB driver is 3rd party.

Months ago in mers.com list were considered to create a ODBtriCk driver
for IB... Then IB 5.5 arrived with Intersolv one.

> OK. But that's not all. Read to the end, then kick me, OK? :)

Of course.... Hmm... Where's my UZI? :-))))

> Here's what I'm afraid of. Currently IB community is an elite of a kind. We
>all know the basics, we all work hard to keep ourselves trained and educated.
>To me, sine qua non elite is an ability and a will to learn. Do we want to let
>everyone in? As long as our community is small we can keep all products based
>on IB on a high quality level by sharing experience with others and providing
>our colleagues with help and advice.

We have 3 or so fields of actuation:
1- Client API (in windows, the contents of gds.dll and related)
2- Connectivity drivers (OBDtriCk, ADO, ActiveX, IBO)
3- Server programming task
4- Additional and related apps (Server Manager, gbak, gfix, replication).
5- Samples (databases and apps)

Even a elite have to delegate bad tasks... ;-) Let's this boys busy with
some non-important task and the core devs will be able to detect some
talents in the crowd also.
Anyway, even the most initiate can have good ideas...

>Can you imagine answering hundreds of
>kiddies what it the 3rd normal form and why one might want triggers or SP
>that return result set? Doing that daily? For long months?

Create a canned reply and send to this guys the IBdev faq... ;-)

> IMHO, this is why Linux can't conquer home user market. People don't want to
>study it, they just want doing things. This can be good or bad for home user,
>but this is an absolutely inacceptable attitude of a developer.

Hey, it will take over the desktop... When GUI interfaces create common APIs
and let the user make almost all things in the GUI. OS/2 were a good example
when the user can use the SO with all it's strenghts. It's WPS were
one of the most powerful GUIs that I have met to this day.
If LINUX can get a GUI with that power, and permits that easy-of-use while
mantaing the stability, wow...

> More on that. End users sitting 9-17 in their cubicles don't see database
>server. They work with applications. And the quality of these applications has
>a great impact on DBMS reputation. `Oh, you know, last week they switched our
>dept to some new database, what was its name, something in between.... oh, yea,
>InterStore, wait, InterBase, yes. And you know what? This is a nightmare, I
>must tell. Alll my buttons gone, I had neat boxes and those lil stripes, what,
>they aren't there, man! As tell you, this open software is for geeks, a 4 am
>fun, not for serious business people, yes.... And, oh boy, I'm giong to
>complain about it, yes!'

You get the point. IB is for HVAD (High Value Added Developers). It's core
must be absolutely stable like a rock.
Anyway, bad developers exists in all that whole world called Earth. They sinks
for some customers an unknowed tool, using it as a excuse for its lack of talent.
It's life.
Quality ISO 9001 metrics' style is a good target go after (I prefer is to
go before and be better than the highest standard) if we gets a formal entity
which dare about contract a quality auditor of a certification company like
Bureau Veritas, DNV, etc. A ISO 9001 certificate have a heavy weight when quality is
in the Inquisition.
Anyway, it will be very poor priority now. Which we must do now is create
a virtuous-cycle developing scheme right now and wait for July which
guarantee the

> Quality of applications is the key. And we must help each other with it. But
>that gonna be way hard if there are thousands of us.

If IB make success (with its merits, it will do) we'll have to address it...
Maybe IBDI have to create a db of the most proficient people and manage to
have something like a inner circle.

[]s Fabricio