SLAG Advice solicitation needed:

[Alma J Wetzker]

Ben Duncan wrote:
> Ok, I am moving right along with SLAG (My OSS AppGen replacement system).
> 
> Now, I am at a crucial step. Choosing the back-end data file access 
> methods for
> the Applications to use.
> 
> Keeping in mind, SLAG is designed for small and medium sized business. 
> It has a
> philosophy of keeping it simple (the current programming style is very 
> FoxPro like).
> System admin needs to be kept very minimal.
> 
> So far they choices run the gamete of :
> 
> File Managers:
> 
> VBISAM - A robust ISAM file manager with multi-key support.
> SQLite - an embedded SQL file manager.
> Xbase and XBaseSql and Open Source Xbase and Xbase SQL embedded
> Sleepycat - The transactional BSD ISAM file manager
> 
> 
> OR
> 
> SQL databases:
> 
> Postgress
> Firebird
> CA's OSS Ingress
> MySql - geee, WHO does not know about this one?
> 
> Any Suggestions out there?
> Once the file access method is decided, it will be very difficult to change
> styles, so it comes down to "file managers" or SQL? And of choice of the 
> two
> methods, which one would you start with ....
> 
> 
> Thanks ...
> 

First:  I am a database bigot.

Back in the early 80's, when I started programming for businesses, I thought 
that ISAM was the greatest.  Today, I think that SQL would be the way to go.

With every ISAM method that I tried, (I used dataflex for a very profitable 
time period) there came a set of recovery tools.  The recovery tools were not 
consistent across ISAM methods or even versions of the same ISAM.  No matter 
what happens, someone using SLAG will need to learn some sort of database. 
That database might as well be SQL based.  All the recently rehashed reasons 
for using vi apply to using SQL.  A reasonably intelligent person can get 
MySQL running, and it is relatively easy to find SQL knowledge, so it broadens 
your potential user base.  I can't see a downside to using a SQL database that 
isn't balanced by the greater risk of data loss, in the event of an error.

(Yes, I know MySQL is a toy compared to Postgress, that does not make it 
useless or without value in some applications.)  If the database portion is 
written in SQL, you can, potentially, have a choice of database engines for 
your particular application.  Setting up a SQL database just isn't that hard 
anymore, unless you are using ORACLE.

     -- Alma