MESSAGE
| DATE | 2002-02-03 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] What is a open source alternative to MS. Access [dfassoc@bway.net]
|
I'm forwarding this the NYLXS.
They need to be in the loop.
Ruben
On 2002.02.03 03:11:03 -0500 Ruben Safir wrote:
>>David is perfectly allowed to join our group. But if we take this on,
>>it has to be through NYLXS without interference.
>>
>>NYLXS is open and democratic, and was created so that we could put a
>>canopy over these activities for discussion, votes and action.
>>
>>We would not work with anyone besides Sun who developes the Software
>>outside the context of the organization. This prevents cock fights.
>>
>>Ruben
>>
>>On 2002.02.03 03:57:49 -0500 Sam Hiser wrote:
>>>>Between Groupware--which I'm starting to focus on--database and template
>>>>/ documentation support...these are a few of the most important new
>>>>initiatives that would likely be coming into the suite between 1.0 and
>>>>2.0.
>>>>
>>>>Can we get David Fenton to join the discuss list? I would like to meet
>>>>him, too.
>>>>
>>>>Am trying to get Tues evening free to join your Linux I class :-)
>>>>
>>>>Sam
>>>>
>>>>On Sat, 2002-02-02 at 21:49, Ruben Safir wrote:
>>>>> as if to underscore the point
>>>>>
>>>>> >From the wacks list...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2002.02.02 21:38:43 -0500 David W. Fenton wrote:
>>>>> On Sat, 02 Feb 2002 12:56:50 -0500"Patrick J. Casey" wrote:
>>>>> > Scott Wickham wrote:
>>>>> > >
>>>>> > > of filemaker. Is there an open source alternative to a
>>>>> > > basic pc database. Like good old dbase.
>>>>>
>>>>> There is nothing even close to resembling Access in the open source
>>>>> world, and not likely to be any time soon.
>>>>>
>>>>> > Yes, but you didn't specify what Operating System(s) this is for and
>>>>> > what licenses are acceptable (GPL, Shareware, Freeware, PD, etc.).
>>>>>
>>>>> Doesn't matter what license. There isn't anything out there like Access
>>>>> or Paradox, or even like Approach or FileMaker. Delphi/Kylix with the
>>>>> Interbase engine might be as close as you can get, but Interbase is not
>>>>> GPL.
>>>>>
>>>>> > StarOffice(OpenOffice) has an Access compatible database . . .
>>>>>
>>>>> "Access compatible?" What does that mean? Yes, it's a feature-by-feature
>>>>> ripoff of Access, but it's missing a lot of things, and it's not in the
>>>>> new versions of StarOffice (or OpenOffice), because it's being replaced
>>>>> by GnomeDB, which at present is very immature and not close to a complete
>>>>> application builder solution.
>>>>>
>>>>> > . . . and is
>>>>> > available for Windows, Unix, Macintosh. However, the current version
>>>>> > (5.2) takes over the desktop when it's run. A Sun representative at
>>>>> > Linux World Expo said that version 6 is ready and should be out by May.
>>>>> > He said the delay is getting copies into all the distribution channels
>>>>> > so that it's available when it's officially released. He said in version
>>>>> > 6 each component can be run separately.
>>>>>
>>>>> Version 6 does not include the database component, unless they've made a
>>>>> big change lately.
>>>>>
>>>>> All of this is why I am a participant in a dormant open source project,
>>>>> the Desktop Database Productivity Initiative (we originally called
>>>>> ourselves the "Access Replacement Project," but felt that was a negative
>>>>> way of describing what we wanted to do, aside from the trademark issues).
>>>>> The project's website is at http://www.ddpi.org/, at least for now (the
>>>>> guy who's been paying for the website says he can't afford it and we
>>>>> haven't yet gotten it moved somewhere else). We have a project set up on
>>>>> SourceForge (accessible via the DDPI web page), and are still, 10 months
>>>>> after we got started, in the earliest stages of examining available
>>>>> technologies and what's already out there. Not much is going on that is
>>>>> publicly visiable, though a couple of the project members are doing
>>>>> significant work with certain Linux tools and maybe in the next few
>>>>> months we'll start putting together some usable tools. At the very least,
>>>>> we will continue to offer discussion and evaluations of the pros and cons
>>>>> of the available tools.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's a major hole on the Linux side, mostly because, in my opinion,
>>>>> Linuxheads just don't understand what Access and VBA as hosted in MS
>>>>> Office actually are, and so don't see the need to work on it.
>>>>>
>>>>> However, I'm also uncertain whether the answer to the problem is not, for
>>>>> instance, something like building XUL interfaces that run in Mozilla. If
>>>>> someone built a visual tool for building XUL data-handling user
>>>>> interfaces and the tool came with data connectors that worked well, it
>>>>> might make the whole idea of a separate desktop database application moot.
>>>>>
>>>>> However, I'm still not terribly happy with the Mozilla UI widgets in
>>>>> terms of performance and reliability (at least insofar as I see them used
>>>>> in Mozilla itself), so I don't know if this is a viable long-term
>>>>> strategy.
>>>>>
>>>>> And it's also closely tied to a single vendor, so it is problematic in
>>>>> that respect, even when that vendor is providing an open source tool.
>>>>>
>>>>> In general, this is a problem that is still awaiting a real solution.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> David W. Fenton | http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
>>>>> David Fenton Associates | http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ## The World Wide Web Artists' Consortium --- http://www.wwwac.org/ ##
>>>>> ## To Unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: wwwac-unsubscribe-at-lists.wwwac.org ##
>>>>> --
>>>>> __________________________
>>>>>
>>>>> Brooklyn Linux Solutions
>>>>> __________________________
>>>>> http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
>>>>> http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
>>>>> http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
>>>>> http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
>>>>> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
>>>>> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/hooked.mp3 - Spring is coming....
>>>>> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
>>>>>
>>>>> 1-718-382-5752
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>--
>>__________________________
>>
>>Brooklyn Linux Solutions
>>__________________________
>>http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
>>http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
>>http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
>>http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
>>http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
>>http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/hooked.mp3 - Spring is coming....
>>http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
>>
>>1-718-382-5752
>>
>>
>>
--
__________________________
Brooklyn Linux Solutions
__________________________
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/hooked.mp3 - Spring is coming....
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
1-718-382-5752
____________________________
New Yorker Linux Users Scene
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