Hi all

I have used Lazarus with PostgreSQL in a client-server setup before. It worked very well when I installed it at a client.

I have also written desktop Delphi programs using Paradox as database and InstallShield as the installer before, which worked very well for distributing programs on CD (or DVD). What would be the best Lazarus equivalent for this purpose? I.e. a program with a pre-existing, populated database that can be distributed on (and installed from) a CD or DVD by users.

If I use PostgreSQL it would need to see if the Postgres RDMS has already been installed on the desktop, install it if not, populate the PostgreSQL database with the data on the CD and install the program itself (with possibly adding a shortcut depending on the window manager used). I have never studied .deb (much less) .rpm packages in detail, so I am not sure if all of this functionality can be packed in there. And I am not really looking forward to writing InstallShield from scratch for Windows if there is a better alternative.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Chavoux

Firebird embedded db file on cd (you need to set the read only flag inside the Firebird db, otherwise FB will try to use the file for some temporary storage. Don't know if that still is required with recent versions). Works fine on Windows; currently figuring out how to get FB embedded+FPC going on Linux, OSX.

Sqlite may also work; haven't tried it read-only/on read-only media.

And I am not really looking forward to writing InstallShield from

scratch for Windows if there is a better alternative.

You haven't stated whether your program is for Windows or Linux but I am assuming that it is a Windows program.

http://www.enterprisedb.com/products-services-training/pgbindownloadprovides binary installations of PostgreSQL. I haven't tried them yet but I believe they enable you to run PostgreSQL outside the standard installation, ie embeddeding them separately for your own programs.

PostgreSQL enables you to run the postgres executable using different settings, ie different data directories, different port, authentication etc. If there are preinstalled executables you can use them to run against your own dedicated cluster and even configure it as a service.