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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 30: Dreaming about xBase tools for Linux</TITLE>
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<H4>"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"
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<H1 align="center"><A NAME="answer">
<img src="../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif" alt="" border="0" align="middle">
<a href="./lg_toc30.html">The Answer Guy</a>
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<H4 align="center">By James T. Dennis,
<a href="mailto:answerguy@ssc.com">answerguy@ssc.com</a><BR>
Starshine Technical Services,
<A HREF="http://www.starshine.org/">http://www.starshine.org/</A> </H4>
<p><hr><p>
<H3><img src="../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" alt="(?)" width="50" height="28"
align="left" border="0">Dreaming about xBase tools for Linux</H3>
<p><strong>From Michael "Mookie" Kepler on the
<A HREF="http://www.ch4549.org/lust/lusthome.html">L.U.S.T</A> List
on 04 Jun 1998
<!-- begin body -->
<br><br>
<em><font color="#003366">Is there a FoxPlus program for Linux ?
When I use the SCO FoxPlus on Linux with <TT>iBCS</TT> module running,
it can not read the data files.
<br><br>
Thanks,
<br>Jyh-shing Chen
</font></em>
<br><br> Michael "Mookie" Kepler
<br><br>Ha! Dream on! I'm decloaking and posting just because I'm
glad to meet another living dinosaur. I, too, have too much
experience with and an irrational attachment to FoxPlus.
</strong></p>
<blockquote><img src="../gx/dennis/bbub.gif"width="50" height="28" alt="(!)"
align="left" border="0">
I presume Fox-Plus is an xBase product related or
similar to FoxPro. If so you might look at WorkGroup
Solutions "Flagship"
(<A HREF="http://www.wgs.com/fsad.html">http://www.wgs.com/fsad.html</A>).
<br><br>
This is a full dBase compatible system, and xBase
compiler. (Actually I think it does a "compile to
C" --- then you'd use <TT>gcc</TT> to actually produce your
binaries. That makes it more portable I suppose).
<br><br>
You could also look at Christopher B. Browne's
incredible annotated link farm of Linux business and
productivity applications:
<blockquote><code><A HREF="http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/"
>http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/</A>
</code></blockquote>
... which has a page specifically one xBase dbms packages
for Linux at: <A HREF="http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/rdbms05.html"
><TT>http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/rdbms05.html</TT></A>
<br><br>
Oddly enough Christopher doesn't mention
<A HREF="http://www.versasoft.com/">Versasoft</A>'s dbMan
(dbMan IV or dbMan 5.x). Perhaps the product has been
discontinued. I couldn't find any URL for it though there
are a number of references. I just guessed at "versasoft.com"
and glanced at their web site, which only mentions one
product (VersaTOOLS; a FoxPro add-on?). I've blind-copied
the one e-mail address listed thereon, so that he can
respond with any info on the fate of dbMan, if he feels so
inclined.
<br><br>
So in answer to your question:
<br><br>
Yes! Dream on! There are dbms apps for Linux,
and you DON'T have to use SQL.
<br><br>
(Also, if you ever want to work with a dbms package that's
less like "DOS" and xBase, nothing like SQL and more like Unix
shell script programming, look at Revolutionary Software's
package: <A HREF="http://www.rdb.com/"><TT>/rdb</TT></A> -- they have a
Linux version. Apparently this <TT>/rdb</TT> is related to Rand/Hobbs
RDB -- <A HREF="http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/rdbms07.html"
>Christopher's pages</A> talk about this a little bit.
</blockquote>
<p><strong><img src="../gx/dennis/qbub.gif"width="50" height="28" alt="(?)"
align="left" border="0">
I made my living pushing the limits of Sco FoxPlus for five
years, starting in 1989, making it do things it was never
meant to do. It is frustrating that so many people think
that SQL and Relational are synonyms, and that Relational
and XBase are mutually exclusive. Every database application
I created with FoxPlus conformed to the Relational data
model. There is nothing in FoxPlus to prevent this.
<br><br>
Please let me know if you find anything FoxPlus-esque that
works under Linux. I've been looking myself and have found
nothing comparable. If they would just release the source
code, we could get somewhere. Whenever I encounter a trivial
programming task, especially ones involving tabular data, I
always think of how much quicker and easier it would be to
turn it out in FoxPlus than 'C', or _<EM>shudder</EM>_ PlSql (yuck!).
</strong></p>
<p><hr width="40%" align="center"></p>
<p><strong><img src="../gx/dennis/qbub.gif"width="50" height="28" alt="(?)"
align="left" border="0">From Thomas Good on the L.U.S.T List on 5 Jun 1998
<BR><BR>
Jim - I have the opposite problem. I want to lose foxpro in favour
of SQL. I run an odd mix of dbs including Postgres, Progress and FoxPro.
The foxpro is sitting on a dos box and is need of extinction. It is
(obviously) single user and so the person who sits on the box has to do
all of the data input and answer the phone - doing queries as requested.
<br><br>
I am moving her data onto a linux box and I want to shift the code from
foxpro to SQL. Any converters out there? Front end is not too important
as I will use <TT>perl</TT> (5 with DBI 0.91 and DBD-Pg 0.69). I just need to
rework the existing queries...thanks!
<br><br>
Tom
<br><br>
----------- Sisters of Charity Medical Center ----------
<br> Department of Psychiatry
<br>Thomas Good, System Administrator
<br>North Richmond CMHC/Residential Services
</p></strong>
<blockquote><img src="../gx/dennis/bbub.gif"width="50" height="28" alt="(!)"
align="left" border="0">
Look at Christopher's web pages (I cited it in my
longer message but it's at: <A HREF="http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/"
>http://www.hex.net/~cbbrowne/</A>)
<br><br>
Specifically he lists a some conversion utilities and
.DBF libraries at: <A HREF="http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/rdbms05.html"
>http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/rdbms05.html</A>
<br><br>
Also don't forget to check the LSM (Linux Software Map).
Here's a couple of entries from there (not listed on CBB's
pages):
<pre>
.......
Title: Light DBF client/server dbms (LDBF)
Version: 0.9.9 beta
Entered-date: 17NOV95
Description: This is client/server dbms that operate with
DBF files and compatible with Foxpro CDX indexes.
Clients connecting with server via TCP/IP
and works with databases as on local machine.
Supports transactions,multi-user operation,
stored procedures,triggers,
password security,logging all operations,
flexible configuration.Implemented main suite of
xBase operators.
Includes DLL of LDBF API for Windows.
Keywords: LDBF,ldbf
Author: vlad@torn.ktts.kharkov.ua (Vlad Seriakov)
Maintained-by: vlad@torn.ktts.kharkov.ua
Primary-site: sunsite.unc.edu (<A HREF="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/Incoming/">/pub/Linux/Incoming</A>)
707 Kb ldbf-0.9.9.tar.gz
930 b ldbf.lsm
Alternate-site: ftp.kiae.su ( <A HREF="ftp://ftp.kiae.su/linux/misc/">/linux/misc</A> )
Original-site:
Platforms: Linux 1.2.0 or later with IPC support
Copying-policy: Freeware
.......
Title: dbview
Version: 1.0.0
Entered-date: 20APR96
Description: dbview is a little tool that will display dBase III and
IV files. You can also use it to convert your old .dbf
files for further use with Unix.
Keywords: database dbase view convert
Author: joey@infodrom.north.de (Martin Schulze)
Maintained-by: joey@infodrom.north.de (Martin Schulze)
Primary-site: sunsite.unc.edu <A HREF="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/databases/">/pub/Linux/apps/databases</A>
10kB dbview-1.0.0.tar.gz
Original-site: ftp.infodrom.north.de <A HREF="ftp://ftp.infodrom.north.de/pub/Linux/Devel/dbview/">/pub/Linux/Devel/dbview</A>
10kB dbview-1.0.0.tar.gz
Copying-policy: GPL
.......
Title: libdbf
Version: 1.4
Description: Tools for manipulating dBase files
Keywords: unix dbase
Author: beacker@sgi.com
Maintained-by: Nobody to my knowledge
Primary-site: Wherever you put it.
Original-site: news::comp.sources.misc
Platforms: Unix (This copy linuxified)
Copying-policy: No commercial use, no charging for distribution (see README).
Entered-date: 01JAN96
</pre>
<br><br>
Those were all found just using the "dbf" search string
on a local copy of the LSM (just a text file I keep around
since I do so much Linux support work).
<br><br>
There's are several Linux Software Map search engines
and searchable Linux Software Database sites out on the
web. I don't even have a "favorite" one any more.
<br><br>
Try:
<dl><dt>Linux Search Database
<dd><A HREF="http://www.egypt.pca.net/LSDB/lynx.html"
><TT>http://www.egypt.pca.net/LSDB/lynx.html</TT></A>
</dl>
... which found this one:
<br><pre>
Title: AppGEN
Version: 0.2 alpha
Entered Date: 11JUL96
Description: Database application generator and 4GL for Postgres95 and
HTTPD. DBase DBF file to SQL Convertor.
Key Words: Application Generator 4GL SQL Web WWW Forms Postgres95 DBF
Author: Andrew Whaley
Primary Site: sunsite.unc.edu <A HREF="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/databases/postgres/">/pub/Linux/apps/databases/postgres</A>
appgen-0.2-alpha.tar.gz
Alternate Site: GPL'ish End
</pre>
<br><br>
... or try:
<dl><dt>Linux Links (by Goob!) at:
<dd><A HREF="http://www.croftj.net/~goob/"
><TT>http://www.croftj.net/~goob/</TT></A>
</dl>
(The search engine is not too hot, but the hierarchy of
links is <EM>great</EM>). There is a reference there to a
semi-free package called X2c (the portable xBase compiler).
X2c seems to have some features for creating binary CGI
interfaces to your DBF databases. Which might be an alternative
to converting it to SQL, if you aren't worried about some
of the concurrency and integrity and business rules enforcement
that are associated with SQL --- or even if you just need a
quick interim solution to use while you're doing the xBase to
SQL port.
<br><br>
Another place to check into is:
<dl><dt>The #LinuxOS Webpage: Linux Software Search Engines and Indices
<dd><A HREF="http://www.linuxos.org/Lsoftsearch.html"
><TT>http://www.linuxos.org/Lsoftsearch.html</TT></A>
</dl>
As the name suggests that site is maintained by principals
of the #LinuxOS IRC channel on EFNet and it contains a list
of Linux link farms, search engines and indices (what a
surprise!).
<br><br>
So, I'd say there's plenty of places to look.
</blockquote>
<p><hr width="40%" align="center"></p>
<p><strong><img src="../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" height="28" width="50"
alt="(?)" border="0">From Michael Kepler on the
L.U.S.T List on 5 Jun 1998
<!-- begin body -->
<br><br>
I'd just like to thank you (Jim Dennis) for your very comprehensive and
helpful responses to the XBase question. I had no idea there were so
many database options available for Linux. I joined this conversation
out of idle personal interest, but now I think I see some possibilities
for solutions for current needs we have at our company.
<br><br>
Thanks again,
<br><br>
Michael Kepler
<br>VP Systems Development
<br>Metro One Telecommunications
</p></strong>
<!-- end body -->
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<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/ssc.copying.html"
>Copyright ©</a> 1998, James T. Dennis <BR>
Published in <I>Linux Gazette</I> Issue 30 July 1998</H5>
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