any advice for FB + Delphi? I read that IBX supports FB but can you access FB with the native components - and what alternatives are there?
Tia,
Jupiter
One popular library can be found at http://www.ibobjects.com/. This library allows quick access to the database via the API and the source code compiles directly into your .exe. It includes a bunch of controls. It is free for non-commercial use and only costs a few hundred (depending on what you buy) for commercial applications (see the license for details). The downside is it only works on Windows (which is why I don't use it) but I've heard nothing but good things about it.
Another popular driver is InterXpress for Firebird from http://www.upscene.com/ (look under the Products link). This one isnt' free ($69) but I thought I would mention it.
The one caveat to using the IBX components is that FB and IB no longer share the exact same code and features. There's been a fork in the code and there's no guarantee that an IBX driver will support 100% of the FB features (and vice versa) in the future. You might want to stick with a driver that explicitly says it supports FB (or both).
Here's a useful link you might want to look at:
http://firebird.sourceforge.net/index.php?op=useful&id=Connectivity&nosb=1
There's a comparison IBX vs. BDE and IBO vs. BDE - what about IBX vs. IBO?
Afaik, EMS Interbase & Firebird Manger uses IBO, and ist really fast (I use ist currently with Interbase).
If you're interested, have a look at
http://ems-hitech.com/ibmanager/
IBX will not support Firebird. Please check InterbaseExpress newsgroups from Borland. This was clearly stated by Jeff Overcash who developed IBX. Anyway, IBX works with Firebird 1.0, since is practically the same with Interbase 6.0. For Firebird 1.5 you have two options: IBObjects and FibPLus (http://www.fibplus.net). If you come from IBX world then using FibPlus is the best choice, since both were developed from the same source.