Helen and Geoff,

I certainly seem to have unintentionally started a small storm! A few
comments:

> This is illogical. New users don't know what they want/need.

Then why do Windows, Delphi, Microsoft Office, and Linux all give the user
installation options?

> The usual way to find out is to read the help.

With all due respect,
1. I usually read the marketing materials, not the help file.
2. The IBO helpfile is NOT useful to someone starting out. Perhaps the
Getting Started Guide is. Perhaps the sample programs are. But NOT the
helpfile.

> What do you mean by "Visual Components"?

It's easier to list what I exclude: TIBO*; TIB_Connection, TIB_Transaction,
TIB_Database, TIB_Cursor, TIB_Query, TIB_DSQL, TIB_StoredProc.

TIB_DataSource is a special case. It is nonvisual but is of use only when
using visual controls.

Advanced Components: TIB_Session, TIB_SyncCursor, TIB_*Source, TIB_Monitor.

TIB_DataPump could reasonably go into either set.

Visual Controls: anything that descends from TWinControl.

An example of the mental clutter: IBO has five data-aware grids (six if you
include TIB_Ledger). Delphi has only two, and the distinctions between
those two are quickly apparent. I found the distinctions among the IBO
grids to be obscure.

> As for native IB components, I highly doubt it would be
> possible to decide what is "minimal components".
> I would be grossly annoyed if I couldn't
> examine all of the components upon installing the suite.

Have you not noticed that Borland/Inprise has always sold three different
flavors of Delphi? We might quibble (should the ADO components be in
Professional rather than Enterprise?), but distinctions can be made.

> If newbie users don't understand the
> difference between
> controls and other VCs, it seems to me that the Delphi
> helpfile itself
> would be the right place to start for an introduction to Delphi...

This may surprise you, Helen, but I didn't learn Delphi from the helpfile.
I learned it from the manuals and from several 3rd-party books, along with a
lot of experimentation. I learned Oracle and InterBase and the Windows API
the same way.

Helen and Geoff, clearly I am in the minority here. I am not asking you to
change anything based on my preferences. If anything I wrote was construed
otherwise, I sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding.

Art Metz
AMetz@...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Helen Borrie [mailto:helebor@...]
> Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 6:21 PM
> To: IBObjects@egroups.com
> Subject: RE: [IBO] The Services API - corrections
>
>
> At 04:48 PM 22-01-01 -0800, you wrote:
>
> >Again I suggest having optional installs for different
> palette pages (not
> >everyone needs the Dialogs or Grids pages). A different
> "slice" might be
> >installation sets labelled TDataset Descendents, Minimal
> Native Components,
> >Service Components, Visual Components, etc.
>
> This is illogical. New users don't know what they want/need.
> The usual way
> to find out is to read the help.
>
> A really good approach is to read the initial sections of
> help file before
> installing ANYTHING. Those who want to use only TIBO* will
> then know that
> they can ignore the controls. Let them choose for themselves
> whether or
> not to delete the TIB_* palettes.
>
> As for native IB components, I highly doubt it would be
> possible to decide
> what is "minimal components". I would be grossly annoyed if
> I couldn't
> examine all of the components upon installing the suite.
>
> What do you mean by "Visual Components"? Surely Data Access
> already covers
> those VCs which are for data access and Controls covers those
> which are -
> well - controls. If newbie users don't understand the
> difference between
> controls and other VCs, it seems to me that the Delphi
> helpfile itself
> would be the right place to start for an introduction to Delphi...
>
> H.
>
>
> All for Open and Open for All
> InterBase Developer Initiative · http://www.interbase2000.org
> _______________________________________________________
>
>
>