Re: [Sheflug] Databases

[Will Newton <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Monday 24 Sep 2001 8:41 am, you wrote:

>                     I have in the past worked with dBase 3+, foxpro,
> paradox, etc, (yes I know,  DOS & Win programs)  creating input forms
> and reports as required for job. I've had a quick look at adabas, mysql
> etc, but I haven't been able to get the guist of them. They give me the
> impression of being something totally diferent and not very self
> explanatory. Perhaps I'm not reading and studying them hard enough. Is
> there something under linux which I have been used to, or, do you
> recommend that I study one of the above linux programs from scratch.

It is a worthwhile thing to learn SQL (which almost all DB systems use in 
some way), and I recommend the PostgreSQL database especially because it has 
lots of features and is easier IMO to install and use than MySQL.

The form generation of Windows based packages like Access/FoxPro/Paradox is 
less common these days. One quite quick and flexible way to generate GUI 
forms for accessing a DB is using HTML and a web server with PHP or some 
other scripting language. It can seem daunting to have to learn so many 
different things at once - SQL, HTML, Apache (web server), PHP (scripting 
language) - but the added flexibility can be worth it. There are some tools 
that can make this easier floating anout on the internet.

Having said that, there are a couple of Access-like tools designed to be used 
with MySQL/PostgreSQL. Have a look on freshmeat.net and you should be able to 
find something like it.
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