While I understand that there are many "real" DBMS available for Linux, I was wondering why any of the Ashton-Tate's dBase equivalents (or clones) for Linux are not popular? [These include dbMAN, Flagship, and Max.]

The ease of ease of use in dBase and FoxBase (later FoxPro)'s dot command was remarkable. Endusers like me, learnt basic commands like CREAte, APPEnd, DELEte, SORT, INDEx, DISPlay, etc. to manage data in multiple files.

Would like to know if there is actually a *good* dBase clone for Linux? I am especially intrested in dot commands, and (sadly!) not looking for SQL-only databases.

I've searched a bit, and the only thing that comes
anywhere close to what you want is this

http://www.fship.com/priceUSD.html#Free_Personal

I guess ... no, I haven't seen/tested it ;)


Cheers,
Tink

Flagship does not have the dot command

Well ... no need to be grumpy! There's xbase C++ class
libraries out there, you can always write your own tool!


Cheers,
Tink

That sounds like it might be fun. So where can I find
the info on what is available as xbase C++ libraries,
and how to call them from a C or C++ program?

Yes, there have been a few good xBase clones ... such as Harbour Project or xHarbour. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XBase.)

However, for the most part, xBase variants died-off because their command-line / ASCII-terminal oriented approach to things simply became outdated. They were all architected at a time ... a time which I very well remember ... when having 640K on a machine meant that it was "big." (Actually, dBase was designed when 64K was the architectural limit, and most machines, as I also remember, had less than half that much.)

When it actually became possible to assume that a system (a) had a graphical user-interface, and (b) had at least a few megabytes of RAM that was all "equally accessible without segment-register hell," the infrastructure of database development environments became much more sophisticated ... e.g. Paradox for Windows, Microsoft Access ...

... and the days of building entire interfaces using IF/THEN/ELSE statements became ... "thankfully, obsolete."

We no longer had to "start with nothing, assume nothing, therefore build everything." All of which things had once been "absolutely necessary."

I too miss that sort of program, like dBase and the QL's Archive and dBas. I found them simpler than OpenOffice Base.

Well, yes and no ...

"Of those to whom less was given (or remotely [in-our-wildest dreams-at the-time] possible), less was required ..."