> H>> Nonsense. Get the OpsGuide for IB6 and learn how to
> use the command-line
> H>> tools. Most of them have a console shell for
> interactive use - including
> H>> isql. Or, if that's really TOO much like hard work,
> read the releasenotes
> H>> and get you a GUI.

Yes, nonsense for those already using FB. But what about
all those we would like to use it? Anyway, perhaps time to
put the macho attitude aside. Life is life and reality is
reality. Firebird could use some major increase in the user
count.

When I visit IBPhoenix I know which link to click, and yes,
I can do without a GUI, but I still use IBExpert. A great
tool and speeds my work a lot. Nobody will convince me that
it is faster to create a primary index, a trigger, a
generator and a procedure for that trigger by typing than
it is by clicking the mouse 5 times in IBExpert.

Now, having said that, some things are pretty obvious in
regards to user's choices. The usual decision about
selecting a program/system to use looks somewhat like this:

- guy hears about a cool program
- guy looks for it on website
- guy finds website and reads description of the program
(cool, description is fine)
- guy looks for screenshots. What screenshots? Who need DOS
box screenshots?

Well, this is where the snag is. We are visual creatures so
we need to see things. Technicalities are fine for
technically savvy and it's great that projects such as
Firebird attract technically savvy people.
Can the project afford to loose all others? My view is that
it can't.

The larger the mass of users the louder the noise around
the project. Noise attracts even more attention, and some
of those attracted may happen to be the ones who can
potentially contribute to the project.

Bottom line: much of Firebird's success may depend on
issues outside the scope of its merit and quality
(unfortunatelly), but still marketing must be done also by
offering eye candy to newcomers. Put yourselves in a
position of a newcomer who has very rudimentary knowledge
of databases; some basic concepts about data types,
relations etc. A person like that installs FB, clicks YES
to �Start Firebird Server Now� and then what?!
That person expects a creen to pop up so s/he can define
the first database ansd a bunch of tables. Quite likely
that person will like to be able to hook up to that
database from IDEs such as Delphi or VB (so ODBC driver
should be distributed too I guess). Sure it can be done
without a GUI. I know it and you know it. How about those
we have been trying to convince to use FB.

Oh, well, that was too long, I�m afraid. Hopefully the
length of my message reinforces the point I�m trying to
make: many people want to click but they are forced to read
and type.


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online.
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html