price-db storage via BackEnd?

[cbbrowne@hex.net]

On Wed, 16 May 2001 05:51:28 EDT, the world broke into rejoicing as
Christopher Molnar <molnarc@nebsllc.com>  said:
> Linas Vepstas wrote:
> 
> > Does this remark imply that there are users who are really planning
> > on using the sql backend real soon now?  I have had trouble
> > understanding whether this really, truly an interesting feature
> > for anyone.
> 
> Yes! YEs! YES! YYEESS!
> 
> This has been something people have been waiting for. There are no
> decent PSQL based accounting packages. 

SQL-Ledger seems pretty decent from what I've seen...

> This also allows it to be
> extended from the current GUI form to web based and java based. Hell,
> someone could write an applet that would increase the user base to
> Windows, Mac, and PALM machines. The use of an accounting package with a
> Web interface helps all those traveling and with remote users. It also
> significantly helps those in a business environment, there are several
> features we can make available with almost the existing db structure
> that it will take years to implement in gnucash. (if it will even be
> done: invoicing, payrolll, reminders, etc). These are all credit/debit
> type accounts. This will appeal to several business users.
> 
> I have 3 local business that want to loose windows like real bad, but
> they need a replacement for QuickBooks. With a postgres based package
> this is now possible. (which is why you see the progress on my servlet).

There is a significant problem with being Java-based, namely that the
overall environment isn't necessarily available as free software.

To be more precise, there are free JVMs, there are free implementations
of JDBC functionality, and of Servlets, but _NOT_ of Swing or other
"Java 2" or "JDK 1.2" or "JDK 1.3."  Sun considers the specs for Java 2
to be proprietary, and any implementation essentially becomes their
licensed property.

See the Debian Java FAQ for details on this; they seem to have the best
info on this of anyone...
<http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-java-faq/ch2.html#s2.3>

This is _precisely_ why there is not any significant body of Java
code out there running, by default, on Linux.

> > > is moved to a database structure as well those working on the postgres
> > > end are missing a lot of information.
> > 
> > dimwit question: are you sure you want to make your configs global?
> > It seems it might be nice to have different configs on different
> > machines ...
> 
> I need a table that is user based configs. The session table tracks the
> last itme they logged in, but doesn't include config info (example,
> default currency, colors, etc).

It sort of leaves open the issue of whether configuration info should
also be associated with the kind of client you attach via.  A Java/Swing
client might have separate config from a web client and be different
from the GNOME client config.
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