WARNING for Btrieve/Pervasive users

WARNING for Btrieve/Pervasive users: Is this the kind of database vendor you want to do business with? I've discovered a secret limit in the Btrieve/Pervasive database engine which could cost you BIG bucks. The latest release of the Win32 Btrieve database engine 6.15, has a UNdocumented limit on the number of "clients" that can use the engine at the same time. The previous 5.x releases had no such limit, and in fact, the 6.x documentation contradicts that and says the client limit is "limited only by memory". Pervasive has acknowledged the arbitrary limit. FYI: With the 6.x release, file locks are now maintained by the engine using a client ID you specify on your BTRVID() request, instead of the pblk. That means that if you need to lock records for update, a multithreaded program MUST specify a unique client id on a per-file-open basis. The 6.x engine has a hidden limit of 64 client ids TOTAL for file opens. Regardless of the number of threads, 64 client ids are all you get. If like us, you are running NT on up to 4 processor SMP boxes with half gig of RAM, a limit of 64 file opens is flatly ridiculous. Even though you're application may not be that big today, this will surely affect you sooner or later. I'm posting this warning because Pervasive is *** REFUSING TO FIX *** the arbitrary limit in their Workstation engine, so 64 opens is all you'll ever get with that package. They are thinking about a "future enhancement" to their Btrieve *Server* (a Btrieve request network server), but have not said how much they will increase the glass ceiling, when that will be available, or how much they'll charge for it. What they have said is that it WILL NOT be changed in the workstation version. Based on all this, it now appears to me that Pervasive is now using the hidden client id limit to force customers to eventually upgrade to their MUCH more expensive Server package, whether you need a Btrieve Server or not. For example, for software distributors, the "unlimited distribution" license for the Workstation product is a one time $1,995. But NO such package exists for the Btrieve Server version. The Btrieve Server version will set you back up to $7495 *PER CPU*! For even the largest shops, that unexpected increase would be a budget buster to say the least. Obviously, if you don't even need or want a Btrieve Server, this cost increase would be unacceptable. It's also important to note that the Server version still shares the exact same 64 client id limit, so no fix is currently available in ANY Btrieve product. Pervasive's lack of documentation on the arbitrary limit, contradicting documentation, refusal to fix the defect, and seemingly transparent efforts to milk customers for more money in a major way when they hit the secret limit, leads me to conclude that Pervasive simply CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. I've left several messages for the Pervasive President over a period of several weeks, but so far has failed to return a single call. Since Pervasive has said they will NOT fix the defect, it now seems that whether you are a current or potential Pervasive customer, it's time to start looking for other alternatives. Bruce A. Chastain bac@pcqt.com