At 12:33 AM 21-04-01 +0200, Omar wrote:

>Hello,
>I just want the experts here to tell me if it's a good idea to use IB on 1
>PC for one user a kind of a very local, always local database engine (like
>the way we use Paradox or Access). I mean am I loosing something these
>others might give.

Yes: IB is not designed nor optimized for single-user use. Local IB is a developer tool, not a production solution.

>I've been using Paradox and IB for a while and I'm impressed by the power of
>IB but haven't used Access. Should I try it when it comes to this kind of
>situations?

If I had that choice, I would always choose Paradox - ideally, in its native IDE, where it offers lightning speed and some excellent features (client cursors and a stunning QBE engine). Still, if you are a Delphi or BCCP programmer, I consider Paradox a better choice than Access:
1. it performs faster
2. it doesn't suffer the inherent overload of an ODBC layer
3. the BDE is its native engine so everything about native Delphi data access works "as expected"
4. Paradox is available on Linux, should you ever want to develop your app with a cross-platform option under Kylix.
5. it is quite "pure" in its implementation of relational database theory which makes it relatively simple to convert a well-built Paradox database to a full-blooded RDBMS such as InterBase. Access is a toy invented for accountants who would prefer to do everything with spreadsheets.

hth

Helen

All for Open and Open for All
InterBase Developer Initiative · http://www.interbase2000.org
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