Note: These notes dated from 1999 and much has changed since then. In particular, a number of RBMS Phil Greenspun has curtailed his writings for teaching at MIT and Ars Digita, his startup, has gone belly-up. This material is kept here because of likns
These are my scratch notes and links about various possibilities for placing "legacy" data on the Web. We still have a way to go. Back in April 1996 I was sure that database-backed Web sites were the way to go, but I didn't see anyway for a small to medium business to do it properly. In early 1997 I am seeing a convergence: the higher-end technologies (like SQL) will (I think) become affordable for smaller businesses through software like Microsoft Visual Foxpro.
SQL on the Web seems much more robust than the solutions that are currently out there using Access, for example. On the other hand, there might be people without server or SQL access. These people might consider creating local databases to generate static HTML. This is a major pain and waste of your time but might be workable if you don't have the money, expertise or courage. I mean you could create a report that generates pure text and save it as HTML. (I've done this in Foxpro, but it's a major PITA.) Before you go this route check out Philip Greenspun's Web Tools Review, described below.
In 1998 The University of Waterloo produced an important report on integrating structured text (like SGML or HTML) with SQL.
Our research attempts to integrate structured text directly into the SQL3 standard, by defining abstract data operations within the evolving SQL/MM standard, which would allow structured text to be treated as relational information, transmitted across ODBC (or other SQL) interfaces as relations, and presented to applications or viewers as structured text.
[SQL] [DB to HTML] [People] Also See Foxpro Links
These links entirely ignore big industry standards like Oracle, Informix, DB2, Microsoft SQL, and so forth. I figure there's plenty of information about those standards, especially if you want to pay $5,000 to $50,000. I've re-organized them slightly.
A note of caution (added 2/98): the small SQL market is starting to warm up and I'm seeing more anonymous product-trashing in public forums and newsgroups than before. Be skeptical. Even some semi-moderated groups like Phil Greenspun's Database Forum, have had some odd messages that sound spam-esque. caveat emptor!
Solid Information Technology http://www.solidtech.com SOLID Server is an inexpensive multi-user database engine, and has a single-user version priced at $99. Solid gives the single-user version for Linux free of charge. Very promising and a challenge to other vendors.
MiniSQL http://www.hughes.com.au/. A Free, although limited, SQL DBMS. (Of some interest may be dbase2msql a Perl script.)
MySQL http://www.tcx.se . Documentation at http://www.turbolift.com/mysql/ "MySQL ... is a small, fast and capable relational database in the tradition of Hughes Technologies Mini SQL database. The client portion of MySQL has been placed in the public domain while most of the rest of MySQL is distributed under license. Features include multi-threading (multiple simultaneous queries), JOINs, fixed and variable length records, ODBC, password system, C & Perl API, case insensitivity..."
PostgresSQL http://www.postgresql.org/ is an SQL dbms language developed originally at Berkeley and now user supported. It ain't easy and requires Unix platforms. Interesting "How-to" document at http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Database-HOWTO.html.
FirstSQL® www.firstsql.com/ "is a family of products from FFE Software providing innovative database solutions. FirstSQL RDBMSs are the most relationally advanced and fundamentally sound systems available today." [I was troubled by the proprietary add-ons. Still, looks interesting. -PR]
Some useful setup articles are also at e-gineer. Some pretty good stuff here on Databases and Servers. Writer follows Greenspun & Co., but not blindly.
There's also a SQL tutorial below under PHP.
See also Phil Greenspun's stuff, below.
A little thin now since my principal link is now gone.
Phil Greenspun evaluates books and online tutorials on databases at
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/wtr/bookshelf.html
Web-Database Gateways
http://gdbdoc.gdb.org/letovsky/genera/dbgw.html
More generally, there's also Yahoo (dated) http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Software/Databases/
Also Yahoo's longer and harder to use list of Software Companies offering database software: http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/Computers/Software/Databases/
Don't forget to see my Foxpro links!
An older and established product for database to HTML. There are also some Web hosting services specializing in CF. (Do not confuse with the HTML editor NetObjects Fusion!)
Cold Fusion Resource Guide (Online database of products, people, documentation, etc.)
http://www.ablecommerce.com/cfusion/resources/index.htm
PHP is a powerful scripting language, C-like, and is embedded right in the HTML code. I've read testimonials by people who swear by it for integration with SQL databases like MiniSQL and MySQL but I know little about it. It can also interface with ODBC-compliant databases. A private site owned by WWITS, a divison of [Jack] Pierce Computer Solutions Co. (PCSC) has a: mSQL database Tutorial index (using PHP) http://www.wwits.net/programs/dbtutorindex.phtml.
More generally, a PHP tutorial
Some more PHP links:
PHP.Net. Distribution, news, discussion and links
phpTidBitsat HtmlWizard. Tutorials linked.
Philip Greenspun, MIT Computer Scientist and published photographer, has interesting and provocative thoughts on sites, Web design, graphics and photography. His printed book, Database Backed Web Sites, is partially mounted on his web site. It's an unconventional and even funny about programming. He favors Oracle on a Unix system. I think he's a bit over-sold on AOLServer and TCL. He maintains a Photo Net site based on his ideas which he claims serves more than 500,000 users a day. (Click here for links to his thoughts on digital images.)
Greenspun's links for his (useful) programs, available to all:
- Discussion: Database Forum (New 11/97; Recommended!)
- Essay: "Adding Collaboration to a Web site." A range of free services from Philip Greenspun and the Web Tools Review
- Web Tools Review Links to his book, freely available programs and freely available (working) programs via his server.
- Links database, unfortunately named "BooHoo" (for Yahoo), is good, but as a librarian, I wish he would allow people to catalog their links!
- Comment server "Loquacious" database server.
- Bulletin board message system LUSENET, a bboard message system, can be displayed as threads, Q&A or both. More flexible than many CGI script boards.
- Uptime Server checks whether your server is down and sends e-mail. (From 2001 offered through openacs.org; No longer through Greenspun/Arsdigita.)
- Clickthrough.net tracks how many people "clickthrough" links from your pages.
For an alternative perspective on Greenspun and AOLserver see this article by Web Server Popularity by Nathan Wallace (May 13, 1999) at e-gineer.com. It raised a stink at Photo.net, but the costs of almost every AOLServer site running SQL is beyond the budget of most webmasters and small companies.
General: a bunch of useful links and articles at E-Gineer.com (1999)
[Home] [Work] [Research & Notes > Database] [Personal]
(minor adjustments)