[PLUG] MS Access Equivalent

Steve Jorgensen jorgens at coho.net
Tue Sep 2 22:47:01 UTC 2003


On Tuesday, September 02, 2003 4:21 PM, Rich Shepard 
[SMTP:rshepard at appl-ecosys.com] wrote:
> On Tue, 2 Sep 2003, Holger Stephan wrote:
>
> > Is there a database system similar to MS Access on Linux?
>
> Holgar,
>
>   Gag! Gak! NO! Access is a flat-file database. Very limited.
>
> > Or, better, something that runs on Linux and Windows?
>
>   Two that I can recommend: PostgreSQL and SQLite. The former is a 
standard
> that approaches (or meets) the power of Oracle -- without the marketing 
hype
> or cost. The latter is a SQL library that can be used for your own
> applications, particularly embedded ones. Both GPL; both run on cygwin on
> Microsoft. SQLite may have a native Winduhs port, but since I pay no
> attention to such things I may be wrong.

As an Access developer (yes, I know, MS is evil, but Access what I've 
become good at, and it's catually a good product), I must beg to differ. 
 Access/JET is certainly a relational database, not a flat file database. 
 Access enforces relational integrity, supports transactions, rollbacks, 
etc.  What Access is not is a Database server, though it makes a perfectly 
good front-end for a database server.  Not only do I think Access is great, 
I was, for a while, heavily involved in an attempt to create a GPL, 
multi-platform replacement system.

The closest things to Access I have found in my wanderings appear to be 
Meargent (part of the GNOME office project) and pgSQL, though the latter 
works only with a PostgreSQL back-end.

Now, regarding whether a database server is superior to a client-based 
database engine with file shareing, there are cases where the file sharing 
system is superior.  Those are the cases where you need a database, but you 
don't need the hassle of installing a server or hiring a DBA.  You can copy 
your database file onto a CD, take it home, and open it up.  You don't have 
to create a backup, go home, log into your server as an administrator, 
create a database instance, decide where to put your log files, etc., then 
restore from the backup, ...





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