> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gerhardus Geldenhuis [mailto:linuxmail@...]
> Sent: Viernes 7 de Diciembre de 2001 6:36
>
> Hi
> Fair enough I did not read carefully enough.
>
> I presume "ifdefed as GATEWAY" is the error message
> code. If I understand correctly you want to fase out
> the padding in front and do away with the sql error
> code.

No, there are C #ifdef preprocessor instructions surrounding code that's
mean to be compatible with GATEWAY. Gateway has nothing do to with the PC
seller but with an old "gateway" from IB towards other (now forgotten)
products like RDB/ELN and other RDB??? flavor (database engines, if you
don't follow). That code only compiles if you enable the #define when
building the engine. It's not used anymore to my knowledge. In theory, such
code could enable us to speak at a basic level with Oracle that still
carries RDB has a forgotten product, but this is theory; most things work in
theory. This was just an example of old things that made sense when they
were done: DEC standards were highly respected at that time and IB followed
a set of interface definitions rooted at DEC. Now, DEC drowned inside Compaq
and Compaq might drown inside HP.

The code that pads strings with blanks over the wire is another example,
since we had DecNet, Banyan Vines, TCP, IBM SNA... and the engine had to
support several of them (not SNA to my knowledge). Now, TCP rules.

Take the error code as the 3rd example: it tried to be compatible with DEC's
standards. Ideas were taken from the original DB2. Now, what you find
strange and useless wasn't futile in its right time. That's my point. I'm
not trying to sell you the current code as the best solution for today. But
we have tons of legacy code and can't break any known application. There's
no big benefit to reap here in my opinion.

C.