FreeTDS Development Group

["Daniel Morgan" <danmorg AT sc.rr.com>]

Hi James,

> Do you (or someone else reading) know what's what with glib 1.2/2.0?
I
> would tend to think that FreeTDS wouldn't care very much about glib's
> version, except regarding Makefile issues and such.  But I really
don't
> know.  

Glib 2.0 is a new major version of glib available at http://www.gtk.org/

Glib 1.2 uses glib-config to get the cflags and libraries to use in
compiling a glib 1.2 program.

Glib 2.0 uses pkg-config to get the cflags and libraries to use in
compiling a glib 2.0 program.

Many glib like programs dependent on glib 1.2 had their own *-config
tool.  Gtk 1.2 had gtk-config, etc...  Well, with 2.0, glib, gtk, etc...
have moved to one tool named pkg-config.  

Since I have glib 2.0 installed on my machine, but I do not have glib
1.x, I got the compile error saying it could not find glib-config.
Maybe, I need to install glib 1.2 to see if that works.  I think glib
1.2 and 2.0 can co-exist on the same machine.

I don't know anything about Linux building using auto* stuff
(autogen,autoconf,automake).  I sure wish I did.  I want to get libgda
building under cygwin.

>> Since you are intrigued, I will tell you what I am trying to do.  I
>> would like to get FreeTDS to work in libgda (GNU Data Access at 
>> http://www.gnome-db.org/ ) and 
>> Mono C#/CLR ( http://www.go-mono.com/ ).  

> I think that would be very cool.  I hope we can get you over the glib
hump
> so you can get started.  

Me too...  I have stuff I want to do!  ;-)  By the way, you can read
about the ADO.NET (data/database) support in Mono at 
http://www.go-mono.com/ado-net.html

>> You mentioned something about ct-lib.  What is the difference between
>> all those libraries?  Which library should I be trying to use in
>> libgda or Mono?

> db-lib is the oldest and simplest.  It's the only API supported by
both
> vendors, which is important to people porting applications that used
the
> vendors' libraries.  Among other places, db-lib is used by PHP.  

> ct-lib is Sybase's second-generation API.  People who really know
Sybase
> stuff rely on ct-lib because it fixes a bunch of implementation and
> conceptual gaps in db-lib.  That's why sqsh and Perl's DBD::Sybase use
> ct-lib.  

> ODBC is our most recent addition.  Its chief advantage is that it
makes
> FreeTDS servers look like other ODBC servers, a big help to people who
> know ODBC and/or write applications for several kinds of servers.  

> <bias> I like db-lib and have never felt the need to learn ct-lib.
Maybe
> it's like great sex and I don't know what I'm missing 'til I've tried
it,
> but db-lib has always done what I need.  In fact, I've often thought
about
> porting db-lib to MySQL or somesuch. </bias>

You recommend me to use db-lib in the Microsoft SQL Server
implementation in System.Data.SqlClient?  I wonder if there is a Sybase
.NET Data Provider that is open source?  If not, we may need to create
one then.  Should db-lib be used for libgda as well?

> There's not much point in using ODBC IMHO, because (1) it involves
> interaction with driver managers and things you don't need, and (2)
libgda
> is aimed at the same problem ODBC is, approximately (and you don't
need
> two layers doing the same thing).  
> You probably should use ct-lib if you don't already know db-lib.
That's
> what experienced Sybase folks would tell you.  If I were doing what
you
> are, I'd use db-lib, because that's what I know, and I haven't been
burned
> yet. 

I'm not crazy about ODBC myself, but there are those who are familiar
with it and applications that are written for it.  ODBC is a generic
data/database API like: OLE-DB/ADO, Libgda, and .NET's System.Data.  

The Goal of Mono System.Data (ADO.NET) and LibGDA is to support "ALL"
databases.  However, this can be very hard.  One way to do this - is to
use libraries or APIs that exist already - unixODBC, FreeTDS, MDB Tools,
etc.  A direct provider to a database is better because it allows use of
the extra features in that database.  But a direct provider takes time
to reinvent the wheel.
 
I am interested in using FreeTDS for two things: 1. create the Microsoft
SQL Server provider in System.Data.SqlClient, and 2. create a Microsoft
SQL Server in Libgda.  Actually, the provider in libgda will be called
the "freetds" provider.  

The ideas behind libgda is to create an ADO/OLE-DB data model for Unix:
no matter what DBMS or data source you have.
Remember, libgda is and will be used with non-database as well, such as,
XML documents and to provide data services for GNOME Office.  Someone
has already created a Sybase provider in libgda, but I don't think it
uses FreeTDS, I think it uses the Sybase libraries.

> Links to the vendors' library docs are in the FreeTDS User Guide.  

> One more thought.  I noticed that MDB Tools is a libgda client.
That's
> very interesting, because MDB Tools is written by our very own Brian
> Bruns.  I'd imagine he'll be rooting for you, too.  

Rodrigo Moya is working on the MDB Tools provider in libgda.  You can
find his email address on the http://www.gnome-db.org/
web site.  If Brian Bruns is interesting in helping on the MDB Tools
provider, I'm sure Rodrigo would be very happy about that.

Isn't MDB Tools currently read-only?  Are there plans for it to be
modifiable, or able to create new MDB files?

> Hope that's of some help.
Yes it has!