dBase/xBase/Clipper Compatible Databases

• Familiarity to DOS programmers. Great for porting old DOS applications to Unix.
• Small footprint, embedable. The xBase databases can be quite small, and can besily hide in the bulky shadow of a larger application. Thier heritage in DOS is indeed a strength: they were designed to be small.
• Data corruption. A disadvantage. Because the data is not stored in a separate address space, its quite easy to have a stray application corrupt the database and make it totally unusable. This is the primary reason why these databases are loosing popularity.

CodeBase 6 (New Listing!)

CodeBase 6 from Sequiter Software is a small-footprinit, highly portable xBase-compatible embeddable database. Unique in that it is available on almost all of the mainstream operating systems, an in that it provide ODBC connectivity(!) Commercial product, but does include full source code.

 

libdbf1.6 

dbflib version 1.6 provides a library of routines for manipulating Xbase/dBase/Foxbase files. GPL/PHP license. This package does not appear to have its own dedicated web page; however it is included as a standard module in many Linux distributions. Sometimes has the name libdbf instead of dbflib. Appears to be derived from the xbase code in PHP. Do not confuse this library with another, commercial, non-Linux product of the same name.

 

Xbase/XDB 

Xbase/XDB provides a dBase (Clipper, FoxPro, etc.) compatible database. The programming API is C++; it provides compatibility not only with DBF files, but also NDX (dBase) and NTX (Clipper) index files, and DBT (dBase, etc) memo field files. LGPL'ed. Not only does dBase have a strong historical following in the PC world, but it provides something that few (no?) SQL database can provide: trivial management. XBase can be used trivially inside of an application, whereas most SQL systems require the user to also act as a database administrator, which is way beyond what a typical home user can handle.

GNU LGPL license allows commercial applications to be built on top of this. Sourceforge project, anonymous CVS.

 

X2C 

X2C xBase compiler.

 

Character Mode Recital 

Recital offers Character Mode Recital is a commercial RDBMS environment. Complete with development tools for report generation, screen layout, data dictionary rules. Includes support for FoxPro, dBase, C-ISAM, and RMS data. Proprietary, commercial.

 

dBMAN 

dBase III+ compatible dBMAN from

VersaSoft Corporation
4340 Almaden Expressway Suite 110
San Jose, CA 95118
Fax: (408) 723-9046
dBMAN V is a dBASE compatible relational database management system. Has a fully relational report generator.

 

Max 

Max from Plugsys is an XBase compatible development system. Proprietary, Commercial.

 

FlagShip 

The Flagship Clipper clone from Workgroup Solutions. Can manipulate dBase III and higher flat-file databases. Includes language extensions allowing communication with SQL databases SQLKit and for creating CGI-BIN's WebKit 

XBase Documentation, Other Notes

• Xbase File Format Description by Erik Bachmann describes the dBase/Foxbase/Clipper file format in great detail.