[hugh nicks]

i'm looking around for some database programs to use on my company's network, and was wondering what other people are using in the real world. right now, we are using ACT, but with no central database. basically our network (is not even really a network) is all peer to peer, so the contact list on janet's computer is different than the one on mike's computer. does anyone know of a really slick app that i can run the backend on my freebsd server, and the workstations will have a windows client running. is there anything comparable, or better than ACT?

cheers.

[KrUsTy!]

Well, not proud of this, but I have quite a bit of expereince with ACT. Only because the company I work for used to have a big ACT database that many people shared. Okay calling it a database is really insulting other *real* databases, but i digress...

Really that product should be renamed ACK!

Okay now that I have the product insults out of the way... :lol:

If you had a fileserver running from that FreeBSD server, sharing out to windows computers via samba, you could store the databse files centrally and have everyone log into the same database over the file share network. ACT databases can be setup for muli-user access quite easily. So bascially a shortcut on there desktop pointing to the shared database from the file server and then everyone just logs into the *same* files. So no databases on anyone's computer, just the ACT program. Then you dont have to worry about the siily "syncronization" that ACT always pushses as the solution to everything.... Also much easier to do things like backup, etc.

In a peer to peer network, you could likely still do this, but one person's computer would have to share that out, and that could get nasty, (espically if that person turns there computer off while someone is in the databse, or the winbloze box does that lovely "think I'll die now" thing that winbloze always seems to manage somehow...) Also everyone use a person computer that is being used as a desktop can result in other security and performance issues...

Of course you might find something in a web-based database. Perhaps a php-mysql databse that might do the trick for you if you did enough hunting. That way you would not be tied to a windows based client, just need a web browser. I think many people have made contact type web databses in PHP and other things. Perhaps one of those projects might suit your needs. Good place to look for this kind of thing is http://sourceforge.net

Although I know how hard it is to get poeple who think ACT is the best thing in the world to look at something else. (and now with the memories of his own past KrUsTy! falls to the ground in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, chanting "no more ACT!, no more ACT!")

Hope this helps....

{K}

[elmore]

Not proud of this but I support a couple of small businesses who like to use act. The way Krusty decribes works exactly the same in a peer to peer environment. This is the way you should set this up.

Ummm... One more thought, I think that starting in act 2000 there is a database merge utility. If you have multiple databases that need to be combined you might want to check that out. good luck!