[plug] SQL question

[ryan at is.as.geeky.as]

> Why not use a PostgreSQL back end, and a Perl front end?
>
> If a Windows platform is needed for the front end, there is ActivePerl
> for Windows.
>
> That way, it should also make the migration to a web interface simpler,
> shouldn't it?
>
> From my understanding, using the more direct Perl interface (to
> PostgreSQL), rather than going via ODBC, would increase efficiency.

If you must use a Windows/VB front-end, the contrib Postgres ODBC drivers
for win32 work very well .. I've put them through hell and have no bad
reports

....  but .....

I personally would use Delphi for the win32 GUI app, then you can port it
over to Kylix with a few clicks and a couple of component/filesystem
considerations ... eliminate the Microsoft dependency factor!  Then you also
have the preferred option of using DBO drivers such as
http://www.zeoslib.org/zeos_zdo_main.php to talk directly to a wide range of
databases (PostgreSQL and MySQL included) instead of using tack-ons like
ADO, ODBC and *gasp* BDE.

A GUI client that can be compiled from the same source code to run on
Windows or Linux is something I value and require immensely .. this
therefore also highlights Java as another possible avenue - but not one I
have driven down.   However you may not consider these characteristics to be
important for your needs.

Delphi/Kylix are written with Interbase in mind and have more documented
support for it than any other DB, there is an IPL version
(http://info.borland.com/devsupport/interbase/opensource/IPL.html) now as
well as MPL (http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/) derivatives such as Firebird
(http://firebird.sourceforge.net/).   I've just started testing both, but
don't know anything worth telling you about them yet.

You can also write the entire web based cgi program as a Kylix console app,
but I haven't investigated this, I still prefer using Perl for such tasks
... and probably always will.

Ryan