I would like to thank you all for information given

Thank you all, and I sincerely mean that. I think almost
all, if not all, of my posts include the word 'thanks'.

ie.
Thanks for the info, thanks.
Well, thanks to Milan Babu�kov for making and suggesting this App.
Thanks, Milan, I will check that one out.
thanks, etc


"You found instsvc.exe. Presumably you tried instsvc query"
No, no, I hadn't, I wasn't aware -- but that's the thing I need so
thanks H.B.

Running...
"C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5\bin\instsvc.exe" q
returns...


Firebird Guardian - DefaultInstance IS installed.
Status : stopped
Path : C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5\bin\fbguard.exe -s
Startup : manual
Run as : LocalSystem (Interactive)

Firebird Server - DefaultInstance IS installed.
Status : stopped
Path : C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5\bin\fbserver.exe -s
Startup : manual
Run as : LocalSystem (Interactive)

Which is a good answer, but it could be better, if it instsvc had returned
xml, then it the parts of that answer would be readable by man and machine -
(Code-wise what do I do with it now? Break it apart with regular expressions)


...
<Firebird Guardian>
<DefaultInstanceinstalled>true</DefaultInstanceinstalled>
<IsRunning>false</IsRunning>
<Path>C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5\bin\fbguard.exe -s</Path>
<Startup>manual</Startup>
<Runas>LocalSystem (Interactive)</Runas>
</Firebird Guardian>
....

Same deal when isql outputs a table of data -- it's just plain text, but why
not arrange, or format, it in a more useable way.

<table>
<row><a>COLUMN 1</a><b>COLUMN 2</b><d>COLUMN 3</d>...</row>
<row><a>DATA 1</a><b>DATA 2</b><d>DATA 3</d>...</row>
...
</table>


The 'tabular' output from isql...
looks like something from the 70's, print it out on a dot-matrix printer
with all these =======================================================
that go about 3 screens wide. How are people getting decent tables of
data out of that?

It's funny, it seems xml is a dirty word around here. And some people
are getting nerdy and territorial. Talk about firey. Somewhere deep down
I think you know that a "Relational Database for the New Millennium" should
be able to output CSV AND XML as a part of the standard installation.


Answers to questions from Helen:
what do you think you need a relational database management system for?
To inspect it in Excel? yes, but I was thinking more like OO Calc
To read tables with VBScripts? yes, but I was thinking more like jscript
Have you heard of ODBC drivers? yes


The "business problem" with xml always gets back to: what format(s)?
I did say that I don't need data typing -- just a way so the output data
can be interpreted as a table and displayed more neatly.
<table>
<row><a>COLUMN 1</a><b>COLUMN 2</b><d>COLUMN 3</d>...</row>...
would be fine.

Do you actually *understand* what you want? yes
Do you have any idea what you would *do* with XML output? yes

XML is a "native" option for anything????
By native, I take to mean inbuilt, presently existing. Generic I take to mean an unbranded
part of a general class. But apart from that, I gotta say, as one fiery red head once said,
"Please Explain?". What do you mean by that statement.

Helen, with the xml you are adding to the documentation: if it is xml at least you
can load a DOM, transform it, re-arrange, rename tags or attributes. If they were
plain text files, the process would be significantly more involved. Which is precisely by point about getting tabular output from Firebird.

"People don't get money for writing books and documentation for free software."
(I hope you are getting paid money for the book you wrote, I know it's
not renumeration enough for the effort involved, but why do you say
things that are clearly not true.)

Double-quotes in comma-separated files, was never my issue, because I prefer xml
If you don't like xml, I can start calling it sgml or just markup. I am mad and
frustrated with my initial FB experiences. I certainly didn't make, or intend any
personal rudeness. If I wanted to, I could infer or interpret certain replies
and question as insulting to me (but I don't). Like from the tone of the message
when person "X" said "With Regards" what sort of regards were they? From the tone
I don't think they were kind regards, warm regards, best regards. Disdain may be a word that springs to mind. Silent and unwritten ridicule. But in what direction? There we go again. Well, I can assure you that there is none from me to you.

"...isql would be bloated to do something substantially useless"
to wrap a few tags around the text output, so that tabular output could be seen
and interpreted as such, would not be bloat, nor would it be useless.

'tell you something that could do with some bloat, the code examples for
The Firebird Book, there's like 5 files, and 2 readmes -- unless you can point
to some examples elsewhere -- for a 1000 page book that is pathetic. And the instructions in the readme, for a beginner, I can't follow. It seems I have to be
an expert to begin with.

Anyhow, when I say thanks, it's not sarcastic, eventually the answers I wanted were
provided, and that's much appreciated. As for the whole warped, techy mess, that
is IT. I think I've had quite enough.

Signed:
the blind, insulting, clueless, idiot
who doesn't know what he wants or
what do with it


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