Re: [pilot-db-list] Comment, question and a possible bug

[Tom D. <td...@vg...>]

On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, Larry W. Virden wrote:

> I understand what you mean.  I have users of databases which do not 
> have access to compilers (and would not be comfortable trying to compile)
> and so I too wish there were some automated way of converting the old
> database format to the new format.  This is my greatest concern.
> I don't have the means to compile the conversion tools for Macs - and
> that's one of the more common platform for the users of some of my databases.

I've been toying with the idea of making DB go through a "data source" 
structure internally of some sort to get at databases. Then accessing
older format databases would simply be a matter of having the right
DataSource object. I've already done something similar in creating a
GridModel structure for the list view which seperates the columns from the
actual data. This would let DB be the frontend for anything we could write
a DataSource object for. (0.3.x DB, 0.2.x DB, MobileDB, ...) 

As for getting the conversion utilites on the Mac, I would try to provide
them but I don't have a Mac nor access to one. Even then, I don't think
there is a free compiler like gcc available for the Mac. (There might be
but I haven't looked. Paying money for CodeWarrior would cost too much.)

If someone could find a compiler, then I can try compiling by proxy with
them. I can guess at the structure of the Makefiles for Mac by seeing what
the Mozilla group has done for their Mac Makefiles. Any takers? 

Tom