At 03:14 AM 7/12/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>I am looking to replace interbase with firebird but having some
>questions/issues on what I should install.
>
>I have 2 applications one application connects to a gdb database on a
>server the other is a stand alone application that is used outside of
>the office (no server/network connection)both are installed on the
>same machine. Right now I install IB server on the server, and IB
>desktop on the client. By installing the desktop version I can
>connect to the server's db AND I can run my other program stand alone.
> What version of Firebird is compatable to IB desktop edition?

First, the difference between IB editions is financial - it's about the
licenses you have paid for. When you take licensing out of the equation,
they are the same product.

Firebird has no licensing in the equation. So it's not a question of "what
is compatible with IB desktop?"

>Also both applications server and stand alone do make multiple
>connections to databases simultaneously. What are firebirds
>limitations?

Firebird offers more connection models than IB does, so how you choose to
do this depends only on which model best fits your needs. Within that, it
also depends on what platform[s] you are talking about.

For a stand-alone app, in Firebird you have the options of 1) the embedded
server (Windows only) or 2) a full server installation. Within 2), you
have either Classic or Superserver. Superserver is comparable to IB's
"server version". Classic is a full server with a much smaller footprint
and different ways of using resources. The Windows embedded server is a
single-instance Superserver and a client library, compiled into a single
library.

For stand-alone use on Windows, the embedded server is probably going to be
your best bet. You won't need to do a server installation on the machine
at all. The client application gets an exclusive lock on the local
database that it connects to through the embedded server; and its "client
part" can connect to a database on a remote server, just as the regular
client library does. The user can be connected to the local database
through embedded and to remote databases simultaneously. The thing that is
not possible is for remote clients to connect to a database whilst a client
is connected to it via the embedded server.

There are a few language-compatibility issues between commercial IB and
Firebird. What these are depends on what version of IB created your
database and the use that your existing apps make of language elements that
Firebird doesn't support.

./hb