To: dbi-announce@fugue.com, dbi-dev@fugue.com, dbi-users@fugue.com,
        informix-list@rmy.emory.edu, descarte@arcana.co.uk
Subject: ANNOUNCE: DBD::Informix Version 0.57 released

The next release of DBD::Informix, version 0.57, has been uploaded to CPAN.
It will be available worldwide in a day or three.

DBD::Informix is the driver code that enables Perl 5.003 or 5.004 to access
Informix databases via the DBI module (you'll need the code for both DBI
version 0.90 and DBD::Informix).  The code is available for download via:

http://www.perl.org/CPAN/modules/by-category/07_Database_Interfaces
http://www.arcana.co.uk/technologia/perl/DBI

New in this release:
* Old-style Informix-specific attributes without the 'ix_' prefix are no
  longer supported at all.
* Based on the DBI driver template introduced with DBI 0.86, but actually
  requires DBI 0.90.
* Add _tables and _columns metadata methods (previously advertised as
  info_cols and info_tables).
* Add support for NT, thanks to Harald Ums <Harald.Ums@sevensys.de>.  It
  isn't his fault that it isn't tested, and that I had to botch the system
  with Makefile.NT.  I just needed to get this release out, and I'm left
  hoping that what I've assembled will work.
* Add Working.Versions file which documents known working versions.
  Contributions are sought from you, the user, and will be added as the
  information becomes available.

Still to do:
* Try to reproduce the problems reported by Kenji Hino <kenji@alcatraz.net>
  and then fix them.  It is related null blobs and SQL error -608.
* Get rid of Makefile.NT by integrating it into Makefile.PL.
* Resolve -R option on Solaris and equivalents for getting path name of
  Informix shared libraries into DBD::Informix shared library, so you don't
  need as much environment set at run-time.
* Investigate whether using sqlda structures in place of SQL descriptors
  makes a significant difference to the performance of DBD::Informix.
* Integrate sqlcmd.sh into the build more thoroughly.  Document it.  Make
  it bomb-proof (for example, it fails horribly if you don't have a '-d'
  option on the command line because there isn't a way to connect to a
  database.

Let me know of problems, as usual, and solutions too when you have them.

Enjoy!

Jonathan Leffler (johnl@informix.com) #include <disclaimer.h>

PS: Read the README file.  Also read the Informix.Licence file.

@(#)$Id: Announce,v 57.5 1997/11/14 05:08:40 johnl Exp $
