Re: PEAR DB abstraction layers

Hi, all,

But the question really is what is our recommended DBAL? I think its time that MDBx is moved to the status of the recommended DBAL in PEAR.

I wasn't aware that PEAR "recommended" *anything.* I thought, perhaps incorrectly, that PEAR was a loose collection of classes from which one might choose at will, and that the only recommendation was to use what worked for you. If DB, for all its flaws, works well for developer A, then DB is for him; if MDB2 works well for developer B, then MDB2 is for him. One might just as well say "HTML_Template_Xipe" is the "recommended" template, or HTML_Form is the "recommended" form builder. The packages are there for all to see and choose from, each according to the user's needs and requirements. Marketing and awareness on a per-package basis may be an issue, but I think that work should be reserved for the individual developers or package teams; we should not allow developers to use the shortcut of a "recommendation" declared by fiat. If a package serves an active need, has good documentation, useful examples, is easy to get started with and use regularly, etc., then there will be a natural acceptance rate (or lack of acceptance) depending on how well it suits the *actual* needs of users (vice the needs *perceived* by the package developer). That rate may or may not match the patience of the package developer. This is the point of competition among packages: if a developer perceives a need, but users do not accept it or choose something else, that developer's estimate of the need may have been inaccurate. The answer is not to have PEAR Group (or whoever) declare "out with the old; in with the new (mine!)" (which can take many forms, from an explicit "you should not use the old" to "the old is fine but we officially recommend the new", essentially a political statement). Instead, the developer should refine his connection with actual user needs (not perceived needs) or increase marketing and awareness efforts. Whoever does the best job there will see the most use of their work. (I have more to say about this, but it will have to wait, as I have appointments for the next few hours. I'll see how this thread progresses and write my rants later in the day. ;-) -- Paul M. Jones Savant: the simple alternative to Smarty. http://phpsavant.com/