FireRuby 0.2.1

Announcing the release of version 0.2.1 of the FireRuby library. FireRuby is
a Ruby language extension that interfaces to the Firebird open source RDBMS.
No new functionality has been added for this release but a number of bug
fixes have been made. Please consult the README file for a list of the
changes.

The FireRuby project is currently hosted on the Ruby Forge site and can be
accessed at...

http://rubyforge.org/projects/fireruby/

[Ed saw it on gmane.comp.lang.ruby.general]

TECT Softwares Stored Procedure Generator (SPGen)

TECT Softwares Stored Procedure Generator (SPGen)
has been designed to create standard procedures for most tables.

Currently SPGen makes no modifications to any database, instead it
creates a script which you can execute against your database.

Pricing:

SPGen is currently in beta and each build is time limited (it will expire after a specified period of time), cost for this product is yet to be determined, however like all our products we will offer the following discounts to Firebird Foundation members, when the product is released:

* Voting Membership - 100% discount.
* Associate Membership - 75% discount.

Beta Test Participation

Beta participation is open to everyone, to get involved simply download a copy of SPGen, all bug reports or feature requests can be submitted directly using our online helpdesk or join our mail list at Yahoo.

Firebird 2.0 alpha 01 corrupting a db

Pavel Cisar wrote on devel:
It seems that first db corruption bug in FB 2.0 was found. This one is really interesting as it seems that the db header page is somehow assigned to table pagespace.

[ED:is better to wait the firebird 2.0 alpha 02 with fix included]

"From:  (Andy Colson)
Newsgroups: sourceforge.firebird-test

Hi all.

I have installed fb2 (as a service) on my windows 2000 pc (amd xp 1400,
512k ram).

I have a reproducable method of corrupting a db, and I get the following
message:

Message: database file appears corrupt ()
wrong page type
page 0 is of wrong type (expected 5, found 1)

However... setting up to corrupt the db is easy on my pc, but I dont
know if I can setup my full app on one of the developers pc's.  I can
get you the database, before and after, if it would help (its about 16
meg uncompressed).

With a little work I might be able to pull out the code and make a small
app that recreates the problem... but I cant be sure.

So, I'm wondering... Whats the best way for me to help you?

In general, here is the process:

I have a createdb app that fires off a "create database" call.  Then it
uses gfix to disable forced writes... (humm.. I'll try the process using
forced writes to see if it makes a difference).

Then it uses isql to fire off 3 sql scripts.
Then it runs ImportPricing (which dynamicly generates many tables based
on the structure of some paradox tables)
Then it runs 14 more sql scripts via isql.

This process seems to work, after ward I can backup the database just fine.

In our main application we have a batch process that seems to hose the
tables though.  during the process I get the above error.  As well, I
can no longer backup the database (I get the same error)."

lazarus - firebird components progress

Jose A. Rimon wrote on lazarus list:

Attached you will find a patch which provide reading blob fields for sqldb
(ibconnection)  and fix some small bugs.

Patch tested against Firebird, DB employee. Here are examples of query fixed :

# Prevents "field not found" error, when use a query without the primary key
in the select:
" select aged from sales"  raise "Field not found "PO_NUMBER" (primary key)

# Set SQLlen of different data types:
"select discount from sales"  return 0 for all rows

# Use AliasName instead of SQLname to avoid "duplicate field name" error, for
example when using "coalesce" more than once:
"select coalesce(po_number, 0) as po_number
            ,coalesce(cust_no,0) as cust_no from sales" raise "duplicate field name"

# use SQLScale in ftLargeInt to get actual values:
" select aged from sales" return actual value * 10 ^9

# Send query to server with different lines. Provides line info in sqlErrors
and allows single line comments
"select coalesce(po_number, 0) as po_number   -- PO_NUMBER
            ,coalesce(cust_no,0) as cust_no
 from sales"       raise "unexpected end of command"


There is a patch also for dbgribs to avoid display the blob field

[ED: the rest of the thread is here

Also it seems there are other patches floating around]

FlameRobin Unofficial 0.2.4 binaries are out

24.03.2005 -Just like previous releases, packages contain only the binaries and
needed files. No ReadMEs, Installers, Release Notes, Manual, etc. This
is for those who wish to taste the current CVS version without
having to compile everything.
Features:
-a lot of fixes and enhancement of SQL Editor
-many new configuration options (most even work :)
-logging to files works
Known bugs:
- if SELECT statement does not fetch all rows, and you press "Show plan", the error message pops-up. It it (seems) harmless, so you can keep working.
Download: http://www.flamerobin.org/test/0.2.4/

Firebird 2.00 Alpha on osnews

This alpha release contains a large number of new features, including derived tables ...
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=10067

Firebird 2.00 Alpha 01

Firebird 2.00 Alpha 01

21 March 2005

The Firebird Project is pleased to announce the release today of the first Firebird 2.0 public Alpha kits for immediate download and testing.

1. This version of Firebird 2 is an alpha version, meant for field testing only and not for use in production.
   
2. All changes and new features are subject to further change and/or
   withdrawal in subsequent alpha and beta releases, leading up to final
   release. Do not assume that databases created by or upgraded to the on-disk
   structure of this alpha will be upwardly compatible with subsequent test
   builds/releases.
   
   
3. Bugs, problems, etc. can be posted to the Field Test bug tracker or
   to the Firebird Development List.
   

This release contains a large number of new features, including
derived tables, support for Execute Block, increased table sizes,
new improved index code (the 252-byte index length limit is no longer
applicable), expression indices, numerous optimiser improvements,
enhanced security features, support for on-line incremental backups
along with numerous other improvements and bug fixes. Please read
the Release Notes for more details.

The following builds are currently available, with others to follow soon:

Win32

• 21-Mar-2005 Windows Installer for Superserver and Classic (3.0 Mb)
  
  
• 21-Mar-2005 Debug build of the above (5.0 Mb)
  
• 21-Mar-2005 Embedded Client/Server (zip file, 1.7 Mb)
  
• 21-Mar-2005 Debug build of the above (zip file, 3.6 Mb)
  
• 21-Mar-2005 Classic and Superserver debug build (zip file, 8.0 Mb)
  

Linux i686

• 20-Mar-2005 Linux Classic RPM Installer (2.9 Mb)
  
• 20-Mar-2005 Linux Classic, tarball with scripts (2.9 Mb)
  
• 20-Mar-2005 Linux Classic debug build, tarball with scripts (18.9 Mb)
  

Feedback, input and comments re this release will be appreciated, as they will help to speed up the cycle for the full Firebird 2.0 release.



Happy testing!

-- Firebird Project

Praise for Firebird Relational Database

 >From: WebHub Technical Support 
 >Subject: [WebHub-list] off-topic: praise for Firebird Relational Database
 >
 >"Interbase Deleted, Firebird Installed... Existing Apps Work without Effort"
 >
 >This is one of those rare stories where software works perfectly, the way
 >it should. It's possibly relevant to people on this list so I'll give you
 >some details.
 >
 >I started with a machine running WinNT 4, Interbase (June 2000), 1 WH app
 >using a .gdb, 1 other Delphi app using a .gdb. (all on same machine)
 >
 >I backed up the server.  You would have too, if you knew what was planned.
 >
 >I shut down the apps.   I stopped IIS.
 >
 >I tried to uninstall Interbase but the uninstaller failed, so I stopped
 >Interbase in Control Panel > Services, then deleted c:\Program
 >Files\Borland\Interbase\*.*.
 >
 >I found the Firebird 1.5 stable installer here:
 >http://www.ibphoenix.com/main.nfs?a=ibphoenix&page=ibp_download_15 ,
 >specifically
 >
 >         25th Dec 2004
 > Official
 > Windows Setup and Installer For Classic and SuperServer V1.5.2 (.exe) (2.7mb)
 >         which leads to
 >
 >http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/firebird/Firebird-1.5.2.4731-Win32.exe
 >
 >I ran the installer. Of course I forgot whether I was supposed to choose
 >Classic or SuperServer. I found this page
 >http://www.firebirdsql.org/manual/qsg15-classic-or-super.html and decided
 >on Superserver.  NOTE SUPERSERVER IS THE DEFAULT RADIO BUTTON CHOICE.  I
 >find it easy to remember "use the defaults" ... hint.
 >
 >I used all the defaults for installation, aside from the folder location
 >(used d: ... not c: ...).
 >
 >The install finished with no errors. I checked Services and Firebird was
 >running. So far so good.
 >
 >I tested the WH app, it worked, no complaints.  (Thanks to the TurboPress
 >developers for that part.)
 >
 >I rebooted the machine, it restarted everything including the WebHub App
 >and the Delphi app, and BOTH WORKED without any reconfiguration of any sort.
 >
 >I was so pleased I had to tell you.  Best of luck to anyone who tries this
 >at home.
 >
 >Cheers,
 >Ann
 >

Firebird-developers and Google tools

Roman Rokytskyy wrote on devel lists

"This can be of interest for us [ED:firebird developers and others]

http://code.google.com/projects.html

CoreDumper

The coredumper library can be compiled into applications to create core dumps of the running program, without termination. It supports both single- and multi-threaded core dumps, even if the kernel doesn't natively support for multi-threaded core files.
Discuss this project - Send us feedback


Sparse Hashtable

This project contains several hash-map implementations in use at Google, similar in API to SGI's hash_map class, but with different performance characteristics, including an implementation that optimizes for space and one that optimizes for speed.
Discuss this project - Send us feedback


Goopy/Functional

Goopy Functional is a python library that brings functional programming aspects to python.
Discuss this project - Send us feedback


Perftools

These tools are for use by developers so that they can create more robust applications. Especially of use to those developing multi-threaded applications in C++ with templates. Includes TCMalloc, heap-checker, heap-profiler and cpu-profiler."

Firebird Embedded on Windows CE/Mobile ?

question on devel lists:

"Is there plan of a Firebird Embedded on Windows CE/Mobile, or did some tests have been processed with current version of sources files?

If not, here is just my opinion: actually, there's only 3 serious solutions of database for windows ce: Pocket access (will be deprecated for future version of W.CE), Oracle PDA (impossible to install it) and SQL Server CE (welcome back to stone aged of database programming: no views, no SP, no triggers, no UDF, no domain)

so i think there a place to get for firebird embedded on PDA."
and one of responses

"Check this out:
http://firebird-ce.tigris.org/"

Firebird 2 alpha release notes NEW LINK

I hope some of the international language test group coordinators are watching this and can update their links to the Alpha release notes. The link is now

http://xrl.us/fgnj

In case anyone reading this is on the translator team for release notes, please contact me if you are ready to receive the source.

regards
Helen

Minor corrections in README.user.embedded

This is for Firebird 2.0 Alpha

Client access can be only via the local protocol,
i.e. NOT a TCP/IP connection string that includes
the server name "localhost" or IP address 127.0.0.1.

The embedded server supports only the local connect
to a database file path without a server name. The
client program gets an exclusive access to the
database file after successful connect.

The embedded server acts as a true local server for a single
client accessing databases on a local machine. It can also
act as a remote gateway that redirects all network calls to
other hosts, just as the regular client library
does.

Corrected by

Dmitry Yemanov

Fulltext Search for Firebird SQL (CodeProject Article)

Fulltext Search for Firebird SQL article on Code Project
(spoted on dotnetfirebird.org)
"In this article, we will talk about searching the data in a Firebird database using DotLucene full-text search engine. We will focus on storing the index directly in the database"
http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/FulltextFirebird.asp

Hibernate and Firebird tutorial

small article

for jaybird's Wiki about configuring and using Hibernate with Firebird and JayBird

You can find it at

http://www.cstengel.de/tutorial/trails_firebird_tutorial/

work done by Christian Stengel

EMS releases InterBase/FireBird Manager 3.9

EMS releases InterBase/FireBird Manager 3.9
Programmers Heaven.com - Malmo,Sweden
... InterBase and FireBird administration and development tool. It provides an easy-to-use graphical interface for maintaining databases and database objects ...

--- Firebird 2.0 Call for testers letter v1.1 ---

The Firebird Project will soon be releasing the first public "alpha"
release of Firebird 2.0. Version 2.0 is a long-awaited important major
release of Firebird with many new features, enhancements and
bugfixes (see alpha Release Notes
for details). In number of changes, the jump in this release is equivalent
if not greater than the transition from version 1.0 to version 1.5.

You know that we care about quality, and that we will not release the
final version 2.0 until it meets our strict QA requirements. For version
1.5, it took about a year before we were satisfied. But this time we are
in a slightly different situation.

The Vulcan project reached the *general usability milestone*, with only
a few loose ends left, and we would like to merge both codebases as
soon as possible. This merge should result in Firebird 3.0 with full
SMP support, unified architecture (no more separate
classic/superserver/embedded builds) and other enhancements (see
http://www.ibphoenix.com/downloads/VulcanOverview.pdf for details).
Beside clear benefits for Firebird users, this merge will result in
cleaner and concise architecture and codebase, and will complete our
transition from old procedural C code to fully OOP C++ code. This will
open gates for developers to design and implement more complex features
like namespaces, temporary tables and other much requested features.

But we can't fully focus on the Firebird/Vulcan merge before the final
Firebird 2.0 is released, hence we would like to shorten the QA phase
as much as possible, but without compromising our strict quality
requirements for final release. We *can* do that by making our QA
process more effective. The effectiveness of the Firebird QA process
heavily depends on feedback from end users, so it's natural for our
quest for more effective QA to start with it.

So far, user feedback was random and fully in the hands of end users.
Basically, we would release a build, wait for feedback for some time
and solve the reported issues (along with other issues we did find
internally over that period). If no important issues were
found/reported since the last Release Candidate build, that build was
repackaged as final. Of course, there are also alpha and beta stages
that follow this pattern too, but differ in what developers are
allowed to change in the ncode.

While this routine has worked nicely for us in the past, it has an
important drawback: We don't know how much the build is tested in
field, in both scale and functionality coverage. We can only guess
approximate figures based on download count, direct feedback, hearsay,
development stage etc. to estimate the "quality index". We also have
only one gauge to work with: time, hence the long release cycle.

To improve on that, we would like to initiate a managed field-tests
program, starting from Firebird 2.0. This managed field-test *will
not* replace the *usual* field-test scenario (or internal testing),
but should work as a complement to other QA routines we use. The
objective of managed field-test is to collect precise information
about field-test (i.e. how the released build was tested and with what
outcome), so we can better estimate the outcome of the QA process,
focus on open gaps in QA and thus allocate our QA resources more
precisely, so eventually we would build our trust in quality of code
more quickly.

The participation in managed field-test is very simple. You need to
sign-in by e-mail to pcisar , where you'll describe
how you would like to test our releases. We prefer any testing method
that is close to real use. This means that if you have an application
that runs with Firebird, you can simply take it on a "test drive" with
the new Firebird release in some testing environment, preferably with
real-world data. Of course, you can pick up any testing method you
like, and you can even focus only on a particular area you're most
interested in (for example performance, backup/restore, new features,
optimizer etc.). You must also describe what Firebird flavour(s)
(CS/SS/Embedded) and platform(s) you want to test. We will send you a
notification whenever a new filed-test build is available, and we will
expect a report from you about the outcome (either good or bad) of
your tests.

We know that such commitment may not be easy to fulfil, so it's
possible that you may skip testing of the field-test release or leave
the program altogether at any point, so we will reward those who help
us! We have created a "prize pool" that right now contains a Firebird
T/polo-shirt in color and shape of your choice from IBPhoenix, but we
believe that we'll get more prizes into this pool before Firebird 2.0
final release. At the end of the release cycle, we will reward the
most "active" tester(s) and one randomly selected tester.

The managed field-test program is open to anyone, at any time point in
the release cycle (starting from fist alpha till last RC), but those who
sign-in early will have better chance to get a reward for their help.

Pavel Cisar
Firebird Project QA Division

Firebird Essencial is the week's best seller at the online book store

seen it on ibphoenix site

"Firebird Essencial is the week's best seller at the online book store TempoReal, both again in Portuguese. Wryly, I think I see a pattern here..."

Book details and look at right Top 10 most wanted books (this week)

http://www.temporeal.com.br/produtos.php?id=168947

IBPhoenix got competition

Single Source Support For Top Leading Open Source RDMBS - MySQL, Firebird SQL and PostgreSQL.

(PRLEAP.COM) Cambridge, MA Feburary 16, 2005 - Advent Consulting - a leading open source technology consulting firm today announced enhanced managed support program for MySQL, Firebird SQL and PostgreSQL.

"We recognize the value that the Open Source database community brings." Said David Lee, CEO of Advent Consulting. "With the strength of MySQL, Firebird SQL and PostgreSQL database deployments in the enterprise and of the greater open source movement as a whole, Advent Consulting is addressing the growing demand for open source database supports with a single source, traditional proprietary methods of escalating professional support services for all three leading open source database."

"Our goal is to provide the best out of open source database solutions to our clients with greater confidence. With this program, the database administrator (DBA) and developer can easily and productively escalating support for their open source (RDBMS) on MySQL, Firebird SQL and PostgreSQL from one convenient source." said Mr. Lee.

Subscriptions plan will be available for a range of required service levels - from basic system updates with automatic escalation procedures, to 24/7 live production support with remote administration on both Linux and Windows environments.

Other open source database services includes: database migration, custom development, database optimization and tuning.

Advent Consulting has been a Firebird SQL foundation member and sponsor, MySQL devconnect consulting partner, as well with extensive successful experience with PostgreSQL consulting & implementation.

About Advent Consulting

Advent Consulting is an independent, open-source strategy consulting firm that provides best-of-breed, totally integrated open source and Linux solutions for delivering cost savings, stability and performance required for companies embracing open source technology.

The professionals at Advent Consulting provide a range of services and supports necessary for organizations to leverage the benefits of open source software including consulting, research, migration, integration, customized development and support.

To learn more about Advent Consulting’s focus, philosophy and open source solution offerings, visit http://www.adventconsultants.com
###

OPEN SOURCE DATABASE SOFTWARE COMPARISON

This is a comparison between free open-source database software solutions actually avalaible. I want to thanks all the sofware developers for developing such a great software for the open source community.

	MySQL	PostgreSQL	MaxDB	Firebird	Ingres
Version	Mysql-4.1.x	PostgreSQL 8.x	MaxDB Version 7.5	Firebird 1.5.x (Roadmap)	Ingres R3

Read more

Firebird second in Brazil (Oracle10g is 1rst)

Info OnLine, a leading IT magazine in Brazil found Firebird the second (translated from Portuguese) most popular database after Oracle

update :
claudio translated this article
The Argentinian site is saying:

The Brasilian Magazine INFO's readers chose the winner of innovation with
the prize INFO 2004. (The link is http://info.abril.com.br/premioinfo/2004/
but really Oracle v/s Firebird is mentioned here
under "banco de dados"). How does it come that you don't understand
Portuguese, Marius?
:-)

I think Carlos Cantu or Artur Anjos are going to punish me for the bad
translation from Portuguese (cuz I'm converting from two languages that
aren't native to my rusty chips), but anyway:

banco de dados -> database
In a market estimated by IDC in 13.5 billion dollars and disputed byte per
byte, Oracle 10g shines due to an innovative proposal: to take advantage of
typical machines (they meant they aren't expensive servers) in companies,
making up clusters to process information. Oracle 10g received 78% of the
preferences. The preferred products at the right are:
- Oracle 10g from Oracle (of course).
- Firebird from FirebirdSQL Foundation.
(I really don't care if the owner is perceived as FF or FB Project, but
clearly it's better than other sites I've seen that attribute FB to IBP.)

Going back to the original site in Spanish, it continues:

It's interesting to note that in the SW Category, regarding DBs, FB got the
second place, only behind Oracle. (Personal note: I think Larry is going to
pay attention some day.) Also it showed without doubt that's capable for the
task/job. This also confirms Brazil as one of the main Firebird users in the
world after Russia. (The site uses the "free database" term instead of FB to
emphasize the nature of our product.)

Firebird also has Fyracle (http://www.fyracle.org/), a patch doing each time
a better job to offer a compatibility mode with Oracle syntax.

End of Argentinian article.
Claudio Valerama

SQL# For GTK# 0.2 released

take a look at screenshot (looks familiar ?)

http://xrl.us/fams (Link to ftp.novell.com)

the rest of article

http://xrl.us/famu (Link to www.mfconsulting.com)