> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank Ingermann [mailto:frank@...]
> Sent: Martes 16 de Abril de 2002 14:22
>
> Good point, and as said earlier i understand your attitude - but in these
> cases, isn't it more the person who *reports* such a problem who is to
> blame? Giving incomplete informations about the setup, the engine
> version,
> the access components and/or tools used and then shouting out
> loud "i found
> a bug!" leads to this, wasting everyones time.

When you are working, you don't necessarily pay attention to all the details
for the first time. What tool were you using, which is the version of the
shared library, what's the voltage in your PC's DIMMs, are you sure your CPU
is capable of NNN megaflops? Etc. And one may forget one of the pieces when
the error was seen.
Worse, not all people are aware of the role than the tool plays in the whole
sequence (to what degree it affects the result).

> Had the person
> tried the same
> thing in ISQL or Marathon before, he'd have found out himself it's not the
> engine, but the tool.

For this to happen, several tools should run in the platform were you are
working, you have to reserve time to download, install and configure them,
etc. That's not always true and if the tool doesn't work directly with the
API, you have less chances to decide what's right and what's wrong. This is
why the plain old isql should be given a try. It should be able to run in
every platform where the engine runs.

> my granny used to say "if we all had the same taste, we'd all be lying
> in the same bed - imagine the crowd!" and this seems to apply to girls
> just as well as database tools :-)

I have more success and less trouble with database tools, really.
:-)

> - that's why i did not say "look here,
> use this tool and nothing else", i just thought it might be worth the
> mentioning there is *a* new and free alternative to IBConsole.

Yes, it's worth mentioning. There's nothing bad with piggybacking the
announcement here.

> Could we now all cheer up again, please? The wheather over here is
> depressing enough!

I tried to work under the rain yesterday here, but soon realized the lattice
at the top of the monitor would be a perfect way for water to go into the
monitor, so I changed opinion quickly.

> - in the mean time i'll look for my dictionary to
> find out what "Altruism" means <g>,

Probably you're doing something about this with GMarathon. My original
observation is that you give for free a limited version of your flagship
product to gain more customers if they bite after get enchanted by the lite
version, not only for doing a favor to unknown developers.

> and update my web site (have to remove
> the "(dead?)" behind the link to the IBDI ng <vbg>)

I always thought IBDI was the place to discuss general topics that aren't
too technical to be sent to other lists, even if we get some sort of
temporary flame war. It's better to discuss something than keep anything
secret.


C. (More interested in finishing that series on PDFs about quarks, neutrinos
and gluons from nap.edu than in programming.)
---------
Claudio Valderrama C.
Ingeniero en Informática - Consultor independiente
http://www.cvalde.com - http://www.firebirdSQL.org