Re: Question about gnome-db...

[Bruno Mairlot <bruno virgoplus com>]

Olivier Nenert wrote:
> 
> Salut Bruno....
> First, I don't think gnumeric aims to be an exact replic of Excel...
> I think it wants to enhance it. Better said, one of its aims is to be as
> muchas possible,
> fully compatible with it. (at list that's what I think).

I think it's goal is to give people who are interested in switching from
Windows to Linux the opportunity to see that there are the same tool
from MS Office. They want to be able to make spreadsheet, word-alike
work,...

I'm a professional network designer. I'm formerly a computer scientist.
Here in Belgium, I see a general disgust from Microsoft solutions or
product. People are sick to hear from MS excuses, MS Error, and BSOD...

They are very interested in Linux and Office part. Actually I think they
don't care about Gnome or KDE, or whatever.

What they want is to be able to surf, write doc files and spreadsheet.

For these people presentation (PowerPoint) and Databases are less
important, but important as well.

This is not my opinion, but what I see. Do we agree ? :-)

That's part of why I'm interested in Gnome/Gnumeric/Gnome-DB project. So
I can show them what exist right now, and
what we'll have in a few months.

> On its part gnome-db's aim is wider than that...
> As you're saying, it is a dtabase frontend.. but the goal is to make it a
> front end to any database,
> thus, the dificulties you are telling about..
> So.. in a way Access compatibility is one of the goals.. but not as directly
> as it is with Gnumeric/Excel which are too specifics...
> gnome-db, of course wants to be abble to give "Access access", but it is not
> a goal.
> the goal is to give the framework, so that someone could create the Access
> server..

Though not absolutely powerful, Access is a very nice program. Very easy
to use. It's very easy to design small
database scheme. When you want to create table link, request and so on,
you still can, though more difficult. Then creating a very integrated
database product is not a task for Access.

What I would like to see in Gnome, is a product that can do things like
Access as easily.

One day Miguel told in a presentation : "People tend to think that
everything that comes out of Redmond is shit, but they can produce some
good thing". I do think the same way.

On the other way, I understand that gnome-db is a much more important
work. Once upon a time, people did things because they wanted to do.
Now, do you think it is still viable ?

I really think that your job is probably the most important think done
for Linux and common user. When they'll see what we'll do, they'll be
convinced.

> On another part, gnome-db wants to provide to another kind of programers the
> ability to use data bound components, much in the way Delphi, C++ Builder,
> Visual Basic and many others do as well. but those component would be
> plugged together with the other gnome components like the gnome-canvas for
> instance. I mean, gnome-db by itself wouldn't evolve in a development
> platform like access. (at least I dont think so... I don't see the benefit
> of it).
> so gnome-db goes in various directions :
> ---> gnome-db-server specifications and devel toolkit.
> |  |-----> gnome-db servers (there is an infinity of them, so none of us is
> a specific goal, but all of them are to be included in gnome-db)
> |  |-----> gnome-db servers tools (servers admin, ... whatever)
> |  |------> gnome-db specific servers tools. (such as odbc admin)
> |---> gnome-db-widgets specifications and devel toolkit
> |  |------> gnome-db-base-widgets (again, lot of them, none is a goal, but
> we want them all here)
> |---> gnome-db-apps
>    |-----> sample tutorial apps
>    |-----> general purpose useful apps (like a universal SQL app to query
> any db for instance...)

Ok, I will hack more deeply the structure, and then see where I can
start.
> 
> (Ricardo.. if I am so wrong I appologize.. that's how I understood it so
> far)
> 
> There is a reasonably high probability that this doen't answer your question
> Bruno, if I misunderstood your question, I'm sorry.

No problem. This is more a general discussion, methinks.


Sincerly,
Bruno
-- 
Intersted in graphical compiler ? visit http://graph.virgoplus.com
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