> I'm thinking about purchasing the FTS module, but I've some
> questions before I do so:
>
> 1, Does the module support UNICODE full text indexing?

I believe some modifications or at least customizations would be in order
since that would require use of the WideString facilities.

I would directly work with you on this to make those needed enhancements.

I don't believe it will be too difficult to make the necessary adjustments.

> 2, Do I need to have IBO core to use the FTS module or it will run
> stand-alone?

You would need to have at least one of these three modules along with the
FTS module. 1) Core, TDataset, Data Access. If this is all you are doing
just get the Core module and the FTS module.

> 3, Were there any benchmark tests comparing the speed of IBO FTS to
> other Interbase/Firebird full text search products?

Not that I am aware of.

The rule of thumb here is my searching is nothing more than creating index
tables in the database and using the search capabilities of your database
itself.

There are other solutions out there that use totally different methods so it
is likely there will be pros and cons for various reasons.

> 4, Is this module still being supported and developped? The
> documentation on the site says that "The final product will offer
> the option to store the Search Base in a separate database, using a
> simple Replication utility for the auto-synchronization." Has there
> been a newer release since than? Is the current version
> considered "final"?

It is still supported and developed and I continue to use it in production
environments. It still needs attention and improvements in the
documentation area.

The replication capabilities are available as you mentioned.

> 5, Is there a demo version available?

There is a website you can go to that uses it internally.

http://www.azsos.gov/scripts/TNT_Search_engine.dll

If you enter in a Registered Name and choose a search type below you can
test it against all of the corporation, partnership, trade name, etc. in the
state of Arizona.

It was written to assist people in avoiding deceptively similar registered
names.

There are millions of names in the database and it is running on halfway
decent hardware, though not top of the line.

Jason Wharton