POET database
Matt
searched the Google groups("POET driver group:microsoft.public.*" and "POET
group:microsoft.public.*"), but POET are either very easy to use or not many
people are using them. Or both.
Here's the deal. There's a software package that our company has bought,
and we can't get support from them for squat. Or maybe we're asking the
wrong questions. I dunno. All I know is that I have no entry in my ODBC
drivers for POET anything. Its all your standard SQL Server and Access and
various other MS drivers.
I have found several DLLs in this apps directory that have been written in
Borland C++, and mention POET extensively (via seeing this in UltraEdit and
reading the human readable portion of the dlls).
Anyone know if I can somehow use the functions in these dlls? How do you
find out what functions a DLL supports when you don't have an API guide or
an SDK?
Anyone know of an ODBC driver for POET (I've STFW, and can't find anything
approximating what I'm looking for)?
And finally, just a pure shot in the dark, has anyone had to do this before?
...right.
Thanks!
Matt
Jeff Johnson
"Matt" <ple...@dontemail.me> wrote in message
news:uPypw#wFCHA.1852@tkmsftngp12...
> And finally, just a pure shot in the dark, has anyone had to do this
before?
> ...right.
Let me guess, in a POET database, all the primary keys have to rhyme, right?
Myron Beatle
regsvr32 on the dll. If it registers, you can then look at it in the object
browser or ole view (comes with vs). If it doesn't register, look at it with
depends.exe (comes with vs) to see the exported functions - the functions
you can call. Still, you will have an easier time with it if you can get
some documentation.
Myron
"Matt" <ple...@dontemail.me> wrote in message
news:uPypw#wFCHA.1852@tkmsftngp12...
Matt
news:erJNUIxFCHA.2656@tkmsftngp12...
> Let me guess, in a POET database, all the primary keys have to rhyme,
right?
Actually, not the system tables -- they get poetic license.
Jeff Johnson
> > Let me guess, in a POET database, all the primary keys have to rhyme,
> > right?
>
> Actually, not the system tables -- they get poetic license.
We must be stopped....
J Quick
POET is an object oriented database. The best public newsgroup for support
is:
news:comp.databases.object.
Your team will probably need extensive C++ and OODB experience to extend
this product. Even so, I'd probably recommend that the product be updated
to the latest version of FastObjects t7 and the C++ compiler before
attempting any functional enhancements. Using ODBC or any other relational
interface to access an OODB would usually be a last resort compared to using
the native interface.
From a business perspective, the purchase of the unsupported software is a
sunk cost that may be a painful loss, but attempting to modify it would
probably make a bad decision even worse.
Matt
"J Quick" <nob...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:eNsIpZyFCHA.1424@tkmsftngp04...
> From a business perspective, the purchase of the unsupported software is a
> sunk cost that may be a painful loss, but attempting to modify it would
> probably make a bad decision even worse.
I fully and completely agree, but I unfortunately do not make the final
decisions around here.
Thanks for all your advice, though. I'm passing on what you said about OODB
and ODBC to the powers that be.
Matt
Matt
"Myron Beatle" <spam...@spam.com> wrote in message
news:OUZRTQxFCHA.2540@tkmsftngp05...
> The dlls you have are either activex dlls or regular win32 dlls. Try a
> regsvr32 on the dll. If it registers, you can then look at it in the
object
> browser or ole view (comes with vs). If it doesn't register, look at it
with
> depends.exe (comes with vs) to see the exported functions - the functions
None of them registered. When I used depends (that sounds gross) I saw a
list of some very cryptic looking functions. This is ridiculous. I'm
telling them there is NO WAY we are going to be able to get into this
database without buying an SDK or something. Or partenering with the
original company.
Thanks for the advice, though.
Matt
J Quick
>
> None of them registered. When I used depends (that sounds gross) I saw a
> list of some very cryptic looking functions. This is ridiculous. I'm
> telling them there is NO WAY we are going to be able to get into this
> database without buying an SDK or something. Or partenering with the
> original company.
>
They're probably C++ DLLs. The cryptic function names probably have been
intentionally mangled by the compiler to provide type information about the
function signatures. This is necessary because DLLs were designed for C
functions, not C++.
http://www.kegel.com/mangle.html
C++ compilers use different mangling techniques, so each usually vendor has
tools to export the function signatures to generate header declarations
without the original source code.
Given enough time and money, it's very likely that the product could be
reverse engineered, but it would usually be far more efficient to reverse
engineer the functionality than the code itself. There are also many more
legal issues that arise for reverse engineering code. Your company probably
only purchased a license to use the software. Many license agreements
specifically disallow reverse engineering the code or any other modification
without explicit permission to do so. I think that the kinds of company
that fail to support their products also happen to be more likely to sue
your company if you violate the license agreement.
Carl Frisk
'97 when he was just releasing it as an internal app and depends didn't
haven't the same conotation it has now. Though the commercials were
starting to just be released. He made a joke about it, commenting that the
app would probably never be used by more than a few people inside Microsoft
anyway.
I told him that's a shame because it's such a handy tool for checking
version, COM interfaces, etc. I asked him if I could release it (with the
proper paperwork, approval) to a developer I knew at another company. He
said yes. A week later the same company called and asked if they could
distribute it to all their devs. We said yes and the next release of VS had
Depends on it.
Well that's the short version with many omissions to protect the innocent.
--
... Carl Frisk
"Matt" <ple...@dontemail.me> wrote in message
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