At 09:36 AM 7/07/2004 +0200, you wrote:

>Hi, I am completely new to firefox

:-)

>and have real difficulties with
>installation, work etc. I supposed to find a manual, but this did not
>explain what I need - or maybe I am just not aware of where to read.
>
>So maybe you can help me.
>
>I learnt programming with dbase III+ and then went ahead with dbase IV
>and my last approaches were MS-Access (now banned from my computer)
>
>A software producer I bought my book-keeping software from told me about
>Firebird and so here I am ... curious to know more and try it out.
>
>When starting installation with
>Firebird-1.5.0.4306-Win32.exe
>
>There are several options to choose - but I cannot find any explanations
>on what to use - which options would be the best for me.
>
>I am working wint WinXP (hopefully one day I can leave win an pass to
>Linux ... but this depends on just one very important software).
>
>I tried to install with different options - always uninstalling it
>afterwards as I did not get any result.
>
>Shouldn't there be some kind of software opening after installation? I
>just get the info (through Task Manager) that the server app. is running.
>
>Or am I missing something obvious?

The Windows Installer is quite painless: you install it and, at the end,
the server is running. Choose all the defaults to begin with - once you
understand what is what, you can customise later.

There is nothing to "look at" - you have a database server running on your
machine, waiting for a client to request attachment to a database.

>Are there infos with screenshots somewhere on the web?

No - there is nothing to see. It is a server, waiting for a client.

Installed with the server - in c:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5 is a
collection of things. In the \bin directory, you will find an executable
named isql.exe. It is a command-line program. Documentation for it is in
the PDF book Opguide.pdf, which is one of a set of 7 manuals that were
distributed by Borland with the original InterBase 6.0. Almost everything
in the OpGuide remains as it was then. Go to www.ibphoenix.com, to the
Downloads|InterBase page. Get the Language Reference too (LangRef.pdf).

At the IBPhoenix site (on the Downloads|Main page) you can get the Firebird
1.0 Quick Start Guide - it's available in both English and French. Some
things changed in 1.5 but most of the basics described there are still
applicable. (That document is currently being updated in firebird-docs and
will be distributed with the software once it is ready...)

Use the release notes. The English version is in the installer kit, but
you can pick up an Italian translation from the IBPhoenix site (same page
as the Quick Start Guide).

Now - what you probably need is a graphical admin client. There are plenty
to choose from - again, all links at the IBPhoenix site - go to
Downloads|Contributed and choose the first link - "Administration Tools".

>Sorry for these very, very elementary questions, but I am wondering if
>something I am doing is wrong or if I don't consider everything I
>should. Maybe there's also some kind of mailing list that better suites
>my needs and where my questions considered as "normal" - as for sure
>some of you ... ehm ... sorry.

This mailing list is just the right one. So - just reinstall Firebird
using the executable installer. You can check that it is running, by going
to the Services display from your control panel. You should see two
services: Firebird Guardian and Firebird Server - Default Instance. Use
the Quick Start Guide to get going. If you get stuck again - just ask!!

/heLen