[comp.lang.c] libdbm.a

jockc@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Jock Cooper) (06/02/89)

I have picked up several packages from the comp/sources/unix archives that seem
to require a library called libdbm..  Our Xenix machine (PS/2 Mod 80)
has this library, but our Unix machine (NCR Tower 650) does not.  Where can I
get a copy of the source code?  Or can I get it at all? I do all my work 
(and play) on the Tower.

Jock Cooper
HCA Information Services

inhp4!killer!jockc

jockc@killer.Dallas.TX.US

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (06/02/89)

In article <8252@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> jockc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Jock Cooper) writes:
>I have picked up several packages from the comp/sources/unix archives that seem
>to require a library called libdbm...  Where can I
>get a copy of the source code?  Or can I get it at all? ...

The original dbm was part of Version 7 Unix.  Some descendants of V7 picked
it up; some did not.  It is AT&T licensed software and theoretically cannot
be distributed without AT&T approval.  However...

1. I am told that there is a copy of it in some (all?) recent tapes of
	the X window system.

2. There is a near-public-domain reimplementation currently in beta test,
	which should be available soon.  (No, I'm not the author.)
-- 
You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

davidsen@sungod.crd.ge.com (William Davidsen) (06/03/89)

In article <8252@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> jockc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Jock Cooper) writes:
| I have picked up several packages from the comp/sources/unix archives that seem
| to require a library called libdbm..

  dbm is not public domain. There are other packages but several of them
seem to include AT&T code, too, even though they say they don't.

  The is a true public domain version coming called sdbm, which is in
beta now. Look for it in a few months. It will solve the problem, and
may be a tad faster, too.
	bill davidsen		(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM)
  {uunet | philabs}!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

oz@yunexus.UUCP (Ozan Yigit) (06/03/89)

In article <8252@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> jockc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Jock Cooper) writes:
>... require a library called libdbm.. 
> ... Where can I
>get a copy of the source code?  Or can I get it at all? I do all my work 
>(and play) on the Tower.

>Jock Cooper

That is the hashed database library (reportedly dropped in SVr?) sources
of which cannot be distributed, AT&T licensed stuff, trade secret,
propriatery and all that.  A nicer derivation of that library (ndbm) is
found under BSD (+derived) systems.

I have a complete PD replacement for that library, based on a 1978 "Dynamic
Hashing" algorithm by Per-Ake Larson. It is currently undergoing beta
testing. Expect a posting "real soon", that will include the ndbm 
clone (sdbm) , and a "dbm" wrapper around it, along with some handy
utilities.

oz
-- 
SomeOS4.n: Brooks was right all	        Usenet:    oz@nexus.yorku.ca
along, but it shouldn't take so         ......!uunet!utai!yunexus!oz
large a pie in a face to figure	        Bitnet: oz@[yulibra|yuyetti]
it out..                  anon.         Phonet: +1 416 736-5257x3976

kannan@babcock.cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu (R. Kannan) (06/04/89)

From article <590@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>, by davidsen@sungod.crd.ge.com (William Davidsen):
>   dbm is not public domain. There are other packages but several of them
>   The is a true public domain version coming called sdbm, which is in
> beta now. Look for it in a few months. It will solve the problem, and
> 	bill davidsen		(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM)
> "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

Thank you very much for posting this.

Can you be more specific about the public domain version. where exactly or 
should we look for?

Also is there anything we could do about the incompatibilities of
ndbm and dbm.
DEC ultrix does not provide ndbm, while iris(SGI), sun, hp and others
all provide both.

Is there anything we should know.

Also we would like to know about similar package for VMS machines.

Thanks very much in advance.

BTW in connection to recent discussion about private e-mail to postings

what is novice to someone is new to someone else

We here at CERC, enjoy and learn in the process lot about c and computing
in general from comp.lang.c. So please continue this unchecked posting.

--kannan

jeff@cjsa.WA.COM (Jeffery Small) (06/06/89)

In article <1989Jun2.160818.4749@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:

> You *can* understand sendmail, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
> but it's not worth it. -Collyer| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

This sinks it.  The space program must really be dead!