A late rehash : Access and the WEB

A month and a half ago I posted a mail on www-rdb asking questions about 
the different possibilities available for linking Access databases with 
web servers. Here's a recap of all the answers I got. Sorry for taking so 
long to repost guys, and thanks to all the persons who sent the info.

If any of you has additionnal information, feel free to beep me about it.
---------------
Since a lot of people asked that I forward the different replies regarding
my question about MS Access and the Web, I thought it would be of general
interest to post this directly to www-rdb. 

You will find a list of the different solutions (URL, contact name, etc.)
that will help you link an Access databasse to a web server. I haven't
tried any of them as of now, but we'll have to take a decision on one of
the products in the next few weeks. So if any of you has experienced some
of the below products, feel free to give me some feedback or to post on
www-rdb. A lot of people out there are interested in working with Access
and the web. 

First, here's a part of my original question :

------------
At 16:04 8/28/95 -0400, you wrote:

I asked this question 4 months ago, and since I got very little
information I thought I'd ask again. No need to say it's a rapid changing 
world ... I was wondering if there is any gateway or complete web server 
designed at the moment that will let one access Ms. Access databases. We 
would install the whole thing on a NT platform.
---------------etc

Product                 DbWeb
Company                 Aspect Software Engineering, Inc.
Web Site                http://www.aspectse.com/Product/dbWeb/dbWeb.html
Contact <email>         Jim Laurel <jplaurel@aspectse.com>
           
Product                 Web Server in an OLE control for Windows 95
Company                 Individual
Web Site                http://www.halcyon.com/geller/
Contact <email>         David Geller <72667.1312@compuserve.com>
Notes                   

"This is the first OLE control-based-HTTP server." If any of you has an 
idea of what is the advantages of such a server, I'd be pleased to know.

It seems that this type of server saves the messy part of writing cgi 
scripts.  I heard from a few people on the net that this is "the next 
thing" in terms of server technology...but don't quote me on this :) as I 
know little.

Product                 Website
Company                 O'Reilly and Associates
Web Site                http://website.ora.com/
Contact <email>         voice site web
Notes                   

Check under the "Developper's Corner" for a live example of what they did 
with Access and Visual Basic. You'll also find the VB code.

For more information on WebSite's Access integration features, also check
out http://solo.dc3.com/#dbprog

Product                 Cold Fusion
Company	                Allaire
Web Site                http://www.allaire.com/
Contact :

Given by someone on the www-rdb mailing list (see below).

Also, Ann Lynnworth has put up a page related to Delphi. Many components 
have been written already, and if I'm not mistaken can be used in order to 
access an MS Access database. You can check out the following URL for more 
info :

http://super.sonic.net/ann/delphi/cgicomp/

===========================================

These are some of the original replies I got after posting my question.

1---------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 14:38:16 -0900
From: Jim Laurel <jplaurel@aspectse.com>
To: azzama@ere.umontreal.ca
Subject: dbWeb - Database Connectivity for the World Wide Web

Hi Alain,

I caught part of your message thread on the www-rdb mailing list.  Our
product, dbWeb can provide you with a simple way to put an Access database
on the web.  If you tried to access our site on Sunday, then you may have
fallen victim to our DNS crash.  The site is back on the air now, so please
try again.  The dbWeb home page is located at:

http://www.aspectse.com/Product/dbWeb/dbWeb.html

Please take time to have a look at the pages behind the About... button.
There are screen shots of our admin tool as well as some concept information
that I think you'll find informative.

Please e-mail me directly with any questions you have.  I'll be happy to
help in any way I can.

Best Regards,
----------
Jim Laurel                         jplaurel@aspectse.com
Aspect Software Engineering, Inc.  http://www.aspectse.com
Tel: 808.539.3782                  Fax: 808.539.3785


2---------------------------------------

Please reply to David Geller at 72667.1312@dub-gw-7.compuserve.com if you 
are interested to know more about this server.

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 20:47:23 +-1200
From: Les Chapman <elsie@gladys.lynx.co.nz>
To: 'Alain Azzam' <azzama@ere.umontreal.ca>,
    "www-rdb@www10.w3.org" <www-rdb@www10.w3.org>
Subject: RE: Access and the Web...partial answer rest of info

----------

G'day,
This time I'll include the all important info

At 08:27 PM 8/24/95 -0700, David Geller wrote:
>Been there. Done that. Now I'm looking some folks who might like to try it
out. If you saw a similar "call for beta testers" a few months back
regarding my web server I apologize for the delay. It's not that it wasn't
ready -- I just wasn't available to pursue a real beta test program. Beside
consulting, I was writing and traveling. It's getting quieter now.
>
>Which leads me to a new thingy I created. It's my Web Server in an OLE
control for Windows 95. That's right - one little 32-bit OLE doo-hickey (the
technical term) and you've got a web server.
>
>How would you use it? Right now you would drop it into a development
environment that can deal with OLE controls. The upcoming Visual Basic 4.0
will do that. I think the new FoxPro will as well. Ditto for the next Visual
C++. I have no details on these products, per say, but rest assured that the
world is moving to OLE controls. You can create your own front-end. If you
don't want to do anything I have a test container that will use it.
>
>So - would one of these things be useful for you? I'm thinking that you
could take my OLE control and run your web server completely through a
database. Why mess with CGI when you can talk db-to-web?
>
>Features:
>  * for Windows 95
>  * OLE control (OCX)
>  * 32-bit
>  * multithreaded
>  * can handle a boat load of simultaneous connections
>    (I've had as many as 44 web connections -- at once!)
> 
>My core engine did CGI and CGI-WIN. I think these will go into the OCX as
well. Anyhow - the control is available for testing. Drop me a line if you
can use an OCX now. I don't have any specific commercial plans for this
"object" right now but can certainly entertain any options presented. Same
for source code.
>
>Unless I learn otherwise I'm going to assume this is the first
OLE-control-based HTTP server.
>
>David Geller
>http://www.halcyon.com/geller/
>72667.1312@dub-gw-7.compuserve.com
___________________________________________________________________________

while this may not be exactly what you want, this OCX Web Server from 
David Geller
works in Access 95, Visual Basic 4.0, Visual FoxPro 3.0, and Delphi 
32-bit beta's
that I've got
Certainly opens up lot's of possibilities and evenually will work with 
next version of NT
(I've tried it with latest "NewShell/NT 3.51/SP1 combo and not a 
rewarding exercise

TTFN

Les Chapman mostly a gopher at odtaa and asker of at least 
half-remarkable questions
e-mail: elsie@gladys.lynx.co.nz  Phone: +64-3-343-3314   Fax: +64-3-348-8871
"aibohphobia = fear of palindromes?"
"Be Alert - for we need more of them"


3---------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 08:04:31 -0700
From: Jay C. Weber <weber@eit.COM>
To: Alain Azzam <azzama@ere.umontreal.ca>
Cc: "Erik M. Bataller" <bataller@commerce.net>
Subject: Re: Access and the Web...

Hi Alain, 

There is a product from "Allaire" called "Cold Fusion", you might want to
look at that, http://www.allaire.com/

Also for more information on WebSite's Access integration features, check
out http://solo.dc3.com/#dbprog

Jay

===========================================

If you find other ways of interfacing an MS Access database with a Web 
server, feel free to email the information to the address(es) below.

Best regards to all,
-alain (personal email is azzama@ere.umontreal.ca)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alain Azzam
Virtual Record Store                          E-mail : vrs@nstn.ns.ca
1967 Raymond, Laval QC  H7S 1R3                           vrs@vir.com
Canada

                  Phone : 514-668-3638  Fax : 514-747-0665
                  ----------------------------------------
                     " I've got a funny feeling, they
                       have plastic in the afterlife..."

                                          Beck, One Foot in the Grave

Received on Saturday, 21 October 1995 13:07:37 UTC