Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 09:08:44 -0400 From: Gail Kahn Subject: May PUF Meeting Announcement Paradox User's Forum Date and Time: Monday, May 1, 6:45 PM Meeting Topic: "Open Sourcing InterBase: The Future of Databases" by Ann Harrison, President-Nominate, InterBase Software Description: One hates to give credence to Microsoft, but there is a trend in our industry toward including more and more capabilities in the "base package" of a software product -- essentially making them free. Ten years ago, if you wanted to network computers, you could buy TCP from one of a dozen companies and integrate it yourself. Now TCP is just part of the package. More recently, the free software movement has cut into the compiler and operating system markets. Users are declaring, in effect, that the free tools are good enough and that they don't need and won't buy a fancier package. Databases are very nearly at that point. Most applications need the ability to maintain shared data. Most users merely want the capability to store and retrieve data quickly, and lose it infrequently. Developers want a SQL interface like the one they learned in school. Beyond that, the features are just bells and whistles. In the opinion of our speaker, the time has come for databases to move into the commodity market. Our speaker, Ann Harrison, has been involved with InterBase since its initial development more than a decade ago. With the decision by Inprise to release InterBase 6 under an open source license, she has become President-nominate of the company being formed to advance InterBase as an open source database. Meeting Location: New Horizons Computer Learning Center, 5 Old Concord Road, Burlington, MA. [Directions: Take Exit 32B on Route 128. Turn Left onto Middlesex Turnpike (proceeding south, away from the Burlington Mall, staying inside Route 128). Turn left at the first light onto Wheeler Road, and left again onto Old Concord Road. Parking is free.] For Information: Call David Kahn at 508-651-3112, FAX: 508-651-3233, http://www.dlawton.com/bcdug.htm or email: bcdug@dlawton.com.