>Constantijn:
>It seems to me that IB Objects can be removed from the list also because
>it looks like this suite doesn't support widestrings either (very much
>to my regret).
>Regardless of the componentset you choose, you have to move to W2K (or
>higher) to get real unicode support.

Hmmm...

Excuse me my ignorance, I'm new to Firebird, SQL and learning Delphi.

Here's an updated version of the project I'm working on:

- multilingual (*) multimedia application on CD-ROM/DVD
(*) english + french to start with ( later on maybe
spanish/italian/dutch/german )
- clients: private + professional of which most use Win XP
( Pro or Home ) or Win 98 ( maybe a few still Win 95 ).

Development with:

- Delphi 7.0 Professional US ( Build 8.1 )
- Firebird Embedded 1.5.1.4481
- Windows 98 SE ( Build 4.10.2222 A )

and for translation:

- GNU gettext, or
- TsiLang components
( haven't decided yet which one I'll use )

Questions:
- Is Unicode essential for this and if so why ?
- Which db access components do you recommend ?

Regards,
Alain