From: gabriele renzi <surrender_it@...1.vip.lng.yahoo.com>
Date: 2003-04-07T06:06:30+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby as a Database Development language?

il 6 Apr 2003 13:22:14 -0700, flxkid@techemail.com (Oliver Nelson) ha
scritto::

obviously, imho:


>I have a question that requires a bit of background that I hope some
>of you can help me with (your opinions welcome).
>
>I have been a windows database application developer for almost a
>decade.  I am young (22) and still wanting to learn more languages,
>database systems, etc.  I have fiddled with Linux for quite a while
>now, and have played with Ruby and find it to be a very nice language.
> I run a software consulting shop that specializes in database
>applications and we have a few vertical market apps.

<ot>
you started writing db app ad 12?? ;)
</ot>

>I'm wondering if all of you think that Ruby is mature enough to write
>REAL database applications that will be closed (vertical market) or
>open source (admin tools) that run on Linux and have nice GUIs.  

I think so. 
Talking about gui you can chose Gtk2/Fox. But if you plan to develope
win-only apps you can easily start with vruby

>I'm
>thinking of mySQL or PostgreSQL for the backend, but are there any
>bindings for oracle, db2 or pervasive available/in the works?

ruby-dbi.sf.net
db2, oracle, interbase etc.. 

>I would also like to be able to do Windows versions of these apps. 
>What GUIs are mature enough?  Do any (Linux or windows) do
>databinding?

As I said earlier, vruby uses native win gui, fox/gtk look less native
on windows.
But , imho, in these times, you can easily see how the GUI consistence
in windows is already lost.  

>What about IDEs, are they there yet, if not, how soon?

http://raa.ruby-lang.org/cat.rhtml?category_major=Application;category_minor=IDE

>What about compiliing to an executeable?  Is this just experimental,
>or is it something that works and can be used?

you can't compile to native binaries. Yet, you can have a single
packaged program looking for exerb and rb2exe

>Can I use Ruby (and SHOULD I) for making web aware database
>applications on Linux? (I already have all of this in Windows)

missing your point, sorry .. 
Anyway you have working modules to use SOAP and the like  if that's
what you want..

>IOW, is Ruby +some GUI +some DB +some compiler +some IDE, a viable
>option at this point for database applications?

definitely ^_^