Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: Where is Base?

Hi :)
+1

One advantage of Base is that it can connect to such a wide range of other
database programs.  It is kinda the default way of using Base.  MS Access
can be twisted into using an external database but it's not as easy to
set-up that way as Base.

Kexi and other front-ends can be used either alongside Base or on other
systems by other users to use the same external back-end as the Base users
connect to.  Again this "playing well with others" is a huge advantage that
Access doesn't have by default.


Sadly the marketing team, if and when they ever mention Base, focus on
using the internal back-end and never even mention the advantages that Base
has.  This could be one reason why we see so many people using the internal
back-end and comparing it negatively against Access.

Unfortunately the marketing team took such strong offence to my objections
to their attempts to market Base on it's weakest points instead of it's
strength that they banned me from posting to their mailing list at all.
Sometimes i am really not a "people person"!


I think if we do mention specific back-ends, especially if they are owned
by Oracle, then it is well worth pointing out other names.  It's not about
fanboyism, just about showing there are a wide range of choices - and that
people might well already have a database (or even spreadsheet) that can be
used without any export-import conversions.  It is VERY good to know that
use of internal back-end can be externalised fairly easily without having
to go through all the troubles Ian Whitfield went through.  On the other
hand his move away from Java-based back-ends probably gave additional
benefits!


I definitely appreciate Andreas' posts in this thread!  He has cleared-up
several mysteries by explaining the problems "under the bonnet".  It has
also been good to see experienced and knowledgeable people giving anecdotal
confirmation of Andreas' points.

In answer to Jay's question there was some attempt to move to using
"Firebird" rather than "HSqlDb" but i think that is still an "experimental
feature" and that we now effectively have a choice of 2 internal back-ends
neither of which work entirely as hoped for yet.  With Firebird it feels
like it is "on the way" though.
Regards from
Tom :)



On 2 March 2015 at 21:09, Andreas Säger <villeroy@t-online.de> wrote:

> Am 02.03.2015 um 21:23 schrieb Tom Davies:
> > Hi :)
> > Apparently another great database program to use as a back-end is
> > Postgresql.  Some of the Postgresql people worked with the LibreOffice
> > people to make a really good connector and then got that connector into
> > LibreOffice main trunk.
>
> This is not a matter of partisanship, fanboyism nor objective evidence
> of the better product. The important thing is that you are able to
> connect to whatever you already have. The database of your online shop,
> your business software, your accounting software, some dBase directory,
> spreadsheets or csv files. The connectivity feature lets you use tabular
> data without troublesome export/import.
>
> If all you have is an embedded HSQLDB, you can convert this to HSQL 2
> within minutes. Conversion into Postrgre/MySQL/whatever would require
> careful editing of SQL scripts, testing and possibly adjustment of
> queries, forms, reports.
>
>
>
> --
> To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
> Problems?
> http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
> Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
> List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
> All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be
> deleted

-- 
To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted