Databases: InterBase

nterbase - database from the company Borland.
InterBase was the basis of a project developed by Jim Starkey (Jim Starkey) while working on a database Datatrive. Jim created it as the realization of his ideas multiversion database architecture. At that time (1984) it was called JRD (Jim's Relational Database). Apparently, it was based architecture Rdb, since Jim Starkey was one of the developers of this database in the DEC.

In 1985, Jim Starkey, his wife Anne Harrison and Don DePalma (Don Depalma) founded the company Groton Database Systems (why InterBase database until recently had a traditional extension gdb - Groton DataBase).

After a number of resales and change the company name to InterBase Software Corporation in 1986 was released InterBase 2.

I must say that most of the databases used in embedded systems, military and special purpose - for example, it is still used in the management of the American system of salvo fire MLPRS, as well as Boeing for special calculations of rigidity of the wings.

In 1988, Ashton-Tate acquires 51% stake in Interbase, and in 1991 Ashton-Tate acquires Borland. In the same year he published three InterBase.

InterBase has acquired great popularity with the release of version 4 in 1994. For that time it was a very powerful database, to compete on features and performance with MSSQL (6.5?) And SyBase (5?).

In 1997, 5 out InterBase and InterBase 5.1.1 in 1998 was included in the distribution Delphi 4, which largely predetermined its popularity among developers in Delphi and C ++ Builder.

In late 1999, three key rights in InterBase (Bill Karwin, Paul Beach and Wayne Ostiguy) dismissed from the Department of Interbase. The conferences begin Borland excitement. Australian activist Helen Borrie (Helen Borrie) creates a list of the people in defense of the IB under the name "Save InterBase», in order to prevent the closure of IB. Form a group IBDI (IB Developer's Initiative) to protect developers, users Interbase, the founders - Helen Borrie, Jason Wharton and Dalton Calford.

But the most interesting thing happening in 2000. The company released a version of Borland InterBase 6.0 in open source - InterBase 6 Open Source Edition, under the InterBase Public License (IPL). It was not released any documentation or test systems or systems build the project - just a pile nekompiliruemyh source. In fact, Borland at the time refused to continue the development of InterBase.

July 31, 2000 the initiative group, desperate to get the Borland support, or at least a coherent position, copy the source code InterBase 6 and formed the project Firebird - a fully Open Source project based on codes InterBase 6 Open Source.

In 2001 the company decided to develop again Borland InterBase. Director of Interbase was John Arthur (John Arthur), a leading developer - Caro, Charlie (Charlie Caro). The next version of InterBase (6.5), Borland obviously abandoned business models based on Open Source. Later officially was completely dropped support for InterBase Open Source Edition.

Support for Borland InterBase now has long ceased its development and transferred to other companies. So use FireBird.