unixODBC vs. iODBC
Debian currently ships two ODBC driver managers, unixODBC (source
package "unixodbc") and iODBC (source package "libiodbc2"). These
basically do the same thing. Every package that wants to provide
database access through ODBC has to pick at build time which driver
manager to use. That in turn forces the user to set up each ODBC
drivers twice, once for each driver manager. This process must seem
pretty arbitary from the user's point of view.
Well, the above is mostly true because you can build the program one way
and the driver the other way and it might still work, but who really
knows?
Should we somehow declare one or the other as the preferred driver
manager, thus making it easier for users and perhaps developers?
I'm not attached to either camp, but here are some data points:
- Currently 18 packages use unixODBC, 11 use iODBC.
- Both myodbc (MySQL ODBC driver) and psqlodbc (PostgreSQL ODBC driver)
build against unixODBC.
- unixODBC comes with a buch of GUI tools, iODBC does not.
- Both are still developed upstream.
- libiodbc2 has been RFA'd by the current maintainer for over a year.
- The lastest PostgreSQL ODBC driver fails to build with iODBC.
Well, you can guess what my pick is. Other comments?
--
Please copy me on replies.
Reply to: