ANNOUNCE: DBD::Informix 0.61_02 uploaded to CPAN

The next release of DBD::Informix, version 0.61_02, has been uploaded to CPAN. It will be available worldwide in a day or three. ************** ** CAUTION! ** ************** This is an experimental version; you should use it with caution. One aspect of the experiment is ensuring that CPAN does not get confused by the new mechanism for identifying the product. The other main reason for labelling this an experiment is that the 'bad free()' problems are more prevalent than I'd like. It primarily affects the blob handling code (eg the tests t/t7[45]blob.t). Some URLs should perhaps be updated to refer to cpan.org instead of, or as well as, perl.org or perl.com. DBD::Informix is the driver code that enables Perl 5.004 or 5.005 to access Informix databases via the DBI module (you'll need the code for both DBI version 1.02 or later and DBD::Informix). You should be planning to upgrade to at least version Perl 5.004_04 as some software in the DBI family will require this version (eg DBI::Shell). The DBD::Informix and DBI code is available for download via: http://www.perl.org/CPAN/modules/by-category/07_Database_Interfaces http://www.arcana.co.uk/technologia/perl/DBI ******************************************************************* ** When you successfully build DBD::Informix v0.61_02, please ** ** report your configuration so I can add it to Working.Versions ** ******************************************************************* New in this release: * Record value of $INFORMIXDIR and $INFORMIXSERVER used at compile time in Informix.pm, so that the values can be reset at runtime. Based on code contributed by Honza Pazdziora <adelton@fi.muni.cz>. * Add partial support for IUS datatypes. My profound thanks to Rocky Bernstein <rocky@thewire.ap.org> for the sterling work he did in providing the code for LVARCHAR and BOOLEAN types. Also to Informix for allowing me to do some of this work in company time. I ran into some problems with the (lack of) documentation on handling SET, LIST, MULTISET, ROW types in dynamic ESQL/C, and ended up helping to write some of example code for the documentation. This was not completed. * DBD_INFORMIX_SERVER environment variable is obsolete (set server information in DBD_INFORMIX_DATABASE). Added DBD_INFORMIX_USERNAME2 and DBD_INFORMIX_PASSWORD2 for second connection. * Cleaned up tests -- only one test uses DBI->install_driver(). * Added some examples, including code for use with a web-server. See the examples subdirectory for details. Some of these exercise the more recent methods added to DBI (eg selectall_arrayref()). * Improve the NT support, mainly by pacifying MSVC better. * Improved support for threaded versions of Perl 5.005. * Add support for "perl -MCPAN -e 'install Bundle::DBD::Informix'". Still to do: * Investigate whether using sqlda structures in place of SQL descriptors makes a significant difference to the performance of DBD::Informix. Being worked on by another noble volunteer, Wes Gamble <Wes.Gamble@chron.com>. Note that this work is a necessary precursor to providing support for Informix-ESQL/C v4.x or earlier versions. * Use the output from DESCRIBE of an UPDATE statement in ClientSDK 2.00 and the 7.30 servers. * Ensure that the tests clean up behind themselves. * Ensure that NT support works more nearly out of the box. * Support for LongReadLen et al, maybe. Next release: 0.95 * This should, with luck, have full IUS support, and is planned as a preparatory release for a 1.00 DBD::Informix driver which will be fully compliant with the DBI standard. If a miracle occurs, then the same code would be released as 1.00. Assuming the normal development cycle, there will be a short succession of releases leading up to 1.00. Apologies: * I've not updated the working versions file with those who have told me about working versions. * I may have omitted to include contributions from some people in this version. Even worse, I may have accidentally failed to attribute some changes. If you feel slighted, let me know. * There appears to be a problem with ix_AutoErrorReport. Since you should be using PrintError instead, please don't try to report the bug; assume ix_AutoErrorReport is about to vanish and use PrintError instead. * I wish the IUS support was more complete, but I found omissions in the Informix documentation which side-tracked me instead of allowing me to actually code DBD::Informix. * The documentation has not been overhauled as thoroughly as I'd like. Let me know of problems, as usual, and solutions too when you have them. Enjoy! Jonathan Leffler (j.leffler@acm.org) #include <disclaimer.h> PS: Read the README file. Also read the Informix.Licence file. @(#)$Id: Announce,v 61.7 1998/12/15 01:00:39 jleffler Exp $