Hi dlamp24,

> We are looking
> at how to intergrate our apps with the software/firebird db. Our
> apps are written in C# and I am wondering how reliable is the .Net
> provider for Firebird is.

There is a specific list for .net. Ask for more info in
Firebird-net-provider
@....

> Also, I am just looking for a comparision of Firebird versus SQL
> Server.

I'm not aware of any doc that compares this two databases. We can help you
here on this list if you have any doubt about one feature or another. Feel
free to ask specific questions.

> Our company is using Microsoft technologies so is it
> logical for us to use Fireibird db?

Yes. This is what we call 'evolution'. :-))

Now more serious: lots of us here use Microsoft tech all the time, even if
it's just the operating system. Choose a database that will do the job well,
not the brand of the database. This will keep your valuable data, so focus
on tech, not on marketing.

For Microsoft Windows, it's already available from the firebird project:

- Firebird Server
- An ODBC driver. This will help you (and your users) if they want to
connect your database from excel or word, for example.
- a .net driver

All of this are actively developed. All of them are open source projects, so
you will have some more info that you usualy don't have from commercial
packages (such as detailed bug reports before they are fixed, as a good
example).

There's lot of Windows GUI tools to help you admin your databases. There's a
list here:
http://www.ibphoenix.com/main.nfs?a=ibphoenix&page=ibp_admin_tools

I hope this helps!

Artur