Re: GNOME Database Kit Part II

[Michael Lausch <mla gams co at>]

And a some last arguments to use ODBC as the least common denominator:

Thriugh the use of the iodbc package it is possible to write a ODBC
Manager which abbstracts some of the the database specific things and
to implement most of the missing ODBC functionality in Unix ODBC
drivers (SQLBrowseConnect, SQLFetchPrev, SQLFetchExtended).

Databases are named with an abstract name, hiding the differences
between postgresql, Solid, Adabas-D, MySQL from the application
programmer.

The API is defined and accepted, data type conversion functions are 
defined and the SQL and C datatypes are defined.

I'd say i need about 1 week to write the missing informix ODBC driver, 
starting with the existing postgres driver and a manuel about the loqw 
level Informix db access functions (i did this a long time ago, before 
i started to collect and archive every bit of code i'm writing. so
it's lost in the dark of the past).

I don't know about Oracle ODBC drivers.

And if you want to look into some extensive middle ware, look into the 
openlink thingy <http://www.openlink.co.uk>. It's pretty extensive,
featuring it's own request broker and it's also pretty expensive.

I'd say: Use ODBC and some higher layer for abstracting datatypes and
DB access functions. You can always fall back to raw ODBC if
needed. And iodbc allows you to use every ODBC driver for every
database without recompiling your application (modulo SQL language
incompatibilities). Even the PHP manual says about the MySQL interface 
that it's deprecated and the common ODBC inteface should be used.

--
Michael Lausch/g.a.m.s. edv dienstleistungen gmbh
See my web page <http://www.gams.net/~mla> or query PGP key server for PGP key.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away".
                -- Philip K. Dick