FreeTDS Development Group

[Michael Peppler <mpeppler AT peppler.org>]

Lowden, James K writes:
 > I'll look after it, Brian.  
 > 
 > My 2 cents:
 > 
 > If someone else wrote the software you're compiling, someone else made the
 > choice.  
 > 
 > If you're not going to use dbm or something else that introduced namespace
 > issues, use dblib.  It's the Volkwagen Beetle of interfaces: simple,
 > durable, efficient.  
 > 
 > In 15 years in and around databases, I've never wished dblib did something
 > it doesn't.  

As of ASE 12.5 dblib can't handle varchars that are wider than 255
bytes, and it doesn't handle numeric/decimal values natively in any
version of ASE. Those two limits can be enough to make dblib
inappropriate for new code.

Michael

 > > -----Original Message-----
 > > From: Brian Bruns [mailto:camber AT ais.org]
 > > Sent: November 28, 2001 10:47 AM
 > > To: TDS Development Group
 > > Subject: [freetds] Re: db-lib & ct-lib
 > > 
 > > 
 > > > hi all,
 > > > i'm still confused, what's the different between freetds 
 > > db-lib and ct-lib
 > > > ?
 > > > 
 > > > regards,
 > > > karina
 > > 
 > > jkl, this one should go in the faq...
 > > 
 > > DBLib was the original API provided by Sybase for SQL Server.  By
 > > extension it was also supported by Microsoft during the 
 > > period immediately
 > > following their technology sharing arrangement (I say was, because
 > > although MS still ships dblib it is deprecated and doesn't support TDS
 > > versions beyond 4.2).
 > > 
 > > Sybase subsequently developed ct-lib as a replacement API.
 > > 
 > > Advantages of dblib:  the interface is fairly simple, code 
 > > written with
 > > dblib is small and compact.
 > > Disadvantages: It doesn't support advanced features such as 
 > > placeholders,
 > > array binding, and so on.  It also suffers from some horrible 
 > > name space
 > > conflicts when use with other libraries (specifically the 
 > > dbopen() call
 > > when linked with any form of dbm, or the typedef of BYTE when 
 > > linked with
 > > several other libraries).
 > > 
 > > Advantages of ctlib: ctlib exposes all current capabilities 
 > > of Adaptive
 > > Server (the new name for SQL Server), and has a robust and 
 > > well thought
 > > out API.
 > > Disadvantages: Because of this it can be a bit unwieldy to use.
 > > 
 > > 
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 > 
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-- 
Michael Peppler - Data Migrations Inc. - http://www.mbay.net/~mpeppler
mpeppler AT peppler.org - mpeppler AT mbay.net
International Sybase User Group - http://www.isug.com