FreeTDS Development Group

[James Cameron <cameron AT stl.dec.com>]

G'day Norman,

I agree with all of your points.  It is too difficult and needs to be
packaged in binary format.  Let's work to improve the situation.

Norman Palardy wrote:
> configure has how many options ?

It has five package specific options that I can see, the rest are
standard options that prior users of autoconf will recognise.  ;-(

  --with-tdsver=VERSION specify the TDS version to use
(4.2/4.6/5.0/7.0/8.0) [5.0]
  --with-iodbc=/path/to/iodbc build odbc driver against iODBC
  --with-unixodbc=/path/to/unixodbc build odbc driver against unixODBC
  --enable-msdblib For MS style dblib.
  --enable-dbmfix Fix conflict with the dbm dbopen.

I agree they are not very clear.  They are also inconsistent in style
against the standard autoconf options above them.  I've made a fix to
CVS to correct them.

  --with-tdsver=VERSION   TDS protocol version (4.2/4.6/5.0/7.0/8.0)
[5.0]
  --with-iodbc=DIR        build odbc driver against iODBC in DIR
  --with-unixodbc=DIR     build odbc driver against unixODBC in DIR
  --enable-msdblib        for MS style dblib
  --enable-dbmfix         fix naming conflict with the dbm dbopen()

http://www.freetds.org/userguide/x126.htm#AEN145 describes these
configuration options quite thoroughly.  (Well done Brian and James).

> I've seen people mention that the sources from the CVS repository should
> be used.  That's fine, and I would, if I had some idea where this was or
> how to get them out of CVS.

This was recently posted to the mailing list.  It is also section 5.1 in
the FAQ.  http://www.freetds.org/faq.html#51

If you've never used CVS before, you may find it difficult.  Install CVS
on your system, then follow the instructions for Anonymous CVS Access on
SourceForge.  http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=33106

Perform a 'cvs checkout' against the freetds module.  This will create a
directory freetds in your current directory.  Build from that
directory.  When you want to adopt changes made to CVS later, perform a
'cvs update'.  This will propogate just the changes to the files, quite
efficiently.  Then you build again.

> make?
> Even after configuring things I try and compile any of the unittests doe
> the dblib portion and they don't make. Some libs simply don't exist that
> these are being linked against

Can you be more specific?

I was able to build from the current CVS copy just then, but 'make
check' failed on each test.  I suspect a network problem accessing the
test database server on the internet.

Perhaps you should skip the unit tests.  I never used them, and things
always worked fine for me.

> make install
> Usually I end up having to su to root before this has any hope of
> working and that is not mentioned in any of the install guides that I
> have seen or read that are part of the distribution at
> http://www.freetds.org/download.html

Well, yes, you are right.  We're assuming too much knowledge.  Some of
it is in the INSTALL file in the source kit, some is in the user guide. 
I've adjusted the user guide in CVS.

http://www.freetds.org/userguide/x126.htm#AEN145

> Documentation ? The download includes documentation. Right
> It includes a README that doesn't say enough about building the install
> to make it useful.

README points at INSTALL, which does seem useful.  I think it should say
it sooner.  I've adjusted README and INSTALL now in CVS.  Hope Brian
doesn't have a heart attack.

> The doc files are in SGML. And no mention of what I might use to read it
> or what might be useful.

An SGML reader?  On Debian GNU/Linux there are 61 packages that mention
SGML.  The HTML format might be useful to you, and it is on the web, URL
as above.  We don't ship the HTML with the source kit.

Brian/James: do you think we should ship the HTML output with the source
kit?  I was always under the impression that only source should be
shipped in a source kit and the customer is expected to use 'make' to
build it, thus placing a build dependency on an SGML to HTML converter. 
I guess configure will need to find a suitable converter?

> I've even said on this list I'd pay for it if I could just GET a binary
> that would install and work. I haven't seen one offered up yet.
> AND THE OFFER STILL STANDS.

Remind me, what platform do you want the binary for?
Perhaps I can help.

-- 
James Cameron