On Tuesday, September 24, 2002, at 01:51 PM, Andrew wrote:

> --- In ib-support@y..., "Pavel Cisar" <pcisar@i...> wrote:
>> Andrew,
>>
>> It seems that you are too new to InterBase/Firebird block :-) IB is
> well
>> known among Delphi users, and enjoyed (in Firebird's incarnation)
> the big
>> boom for last two years.
>
> I've been with FB for almost a year -- started around RC1. I think I
> have a pretty good handle on what FB can and can't do.
>
> Your comments are spot on, and I appreciate your cutting through the
> FUD. Desktop -- absolutely, who is using MySQL that way? (mind you,
> it's still a good choice for lightweight stuff). But web content
> is 'the' thing and will stay the big thing for the next five years.
> FB needs to get on that bandwagon. I tried porting NukePHP until I
> realized that the data-abstraction layer meant nothing when applied
> to Interbase -- it would have required a full rewrite. (not to
> mention NukePHP's appalling schema.) Better to start from scratch
> using a better foundation like NukePHP or PHPBB2. Another part of
> the reason I stopped was: why port to IB when MySQL does all you need
> for most web CMSs, and it's up'n running OOTB with oodles of PHP apps
> ready and waiting? But a killer PHP-Interbase app sounds very, very
> good and is sorely needed.

I would love to provide such an app, because I feel strongly that
promoting open source dbs over commercial ones is a good thing for both
myself (doing my duty to improve the tech landscape) and for my clients
(less cost, more time for rock 'n' roll :)). But I think the barrier
to entry for getting busy joe coders like myself, who can't be bothered
with db administration and specifics, involved is to make things dead
simple or similar to what we've had to do before. Anything but a
standard ./configure, make, make install, useradd firebird, and setting
some env vars in .bashrc needs to be very clearly documented in a file
we'll know to look for, preferably called "INSTALL" or "README". This
isn't even laziness on our part, it's lack of time. And even if it
were laziness, Fb then has to accept that their market are too lazy to
put effort into Fb to get something out of it.

Firebird is also hindered by the fact that a lot of its documentation
still says Interbase, which confuses people who don't care to know
about its history and why things are this way, but just wish to get
banging away at sql commands and porting their apps. After that, a
phpFbAdmin package similar to phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin will do wonders
to promote Firebird.

I now have five databases running on this machine (MySQL, PostgreSQL,
FrontBase, Oracle, and Sybase), and Firebird will be next when I have
time to read the docs and get it running, or just wait for a build to
become available for Jaguar. Until then, I'll be working on my
PostgreSQL and Oracle support primarily, because they (even Oracle)
were easier to get going, and will continue to have a head start over
Firebird with my clients and users. I really want this to change
though, as I like the proven history of Fb and it's feature set.

Note though that there's no way my clients will be running MS SQL
Server with my approval stamp, so you can bet I'll invest some serious
reading time on the Fb docs before that happens.

Cheers,

Lux

>
> ***The Firebird/IB OE installed base is now
>> estimated around one million servers running world-wide! Far far
> more
>> that five years ago. But the majority is on windows and many from
> that in
>> personal / single user environment, that's far away from other Open
>> Source contenders and users ***
>
> Hold the phone! Where are these stats coming from? I've scoured the
> net for weeks trying to find these kinds of stats to no avail. I
> might have been able to keep MSSQL Server off my back if I'd had
> figures like these when I was doing my almost big IB project.
>
> ***But FB is a live and well., and with bright
>> future at least in its dominion (Windows & Delphi).***
>
> As simple as it is, Pavel, that kind of assessment actually cheers me
> up a little.
>
> Regards,
> Andrew
>
>
>
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--

John Luxford
Simian Systems
_______________________
phone : 204.946.5955
email : lux@...
web : www.simian.ca
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