[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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