KInterbasDB

A Python Extension Package for the Firebird and Interbase® Relational Databases

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KInterbasDB is a Python extension package that implements Python Database API 2.0-compliant support for the open source relational database Firebird and some versions of its proprietary cousin Borland® Interbase®. In addition to the minimal feature set of the standard Python DB API, KInterbasDB also exposes nearly the entire native client API of the database engine.

The package is free--covered by a permissive BSD-style license that both commercial and noncommercial users should find agreeable.

kinterbasdb-3.2 ( download, changelog ) is now available. This release a fixes couple of bugs, and marks the transition of KInterbasDB 3.2 from the prerelease stage to maintenance mode.

Update: The developers of the eGenix mx package have now released an official Win32 mx.DateTime binary for Python 2.5, so the following paragraph is no longer relevant. (But remember that it is not necessary to use mx.DateTime as KInterbasDB's date/time representation.)

Windows users who wish to use KInterbasDB with Python 2.5--and who choose to use the eGenix mx.DateTime package to represent dates and times--will probably want to download the Python 2.5 mx.DateTime binary supplied with this release, since the eGenix developers typically do not release official binaries for a new Python version until very late in its prerelease cycle.

kinterbasdb-3.2rc1 ( download, changelog ) is now available. It is the recommended stable version of KInterbasDB.

This release fixes one bug and adds a handful of features. See the changelog for details.

Windows users who wish to use KInterbasDB with Python 2.5--and who choose to use the eGenix mx.DateTime package to represent dates and times--will probably want to download the Python 2.5 mx.DateTime binary supplied with this release, since the eGenix developers typically do not release official binaries for a new Python version until very late in its prerelease cycle.

kinterbasdb-3.2b1 ( download, changelog ) is now available.

This release fixes minor bugs and adds a number of features, most notably support for connection timeouts. See the changelog for details.

Windows users who wish to use KInterbasDB with the Python 2.5 prereleases--and who choose to use the eGenix mx.DateTime package to represent dates and times--will probably want to download the Python 2.5 mx.DateTime binary supplied with this release, since the eGenix developers typically do not release official binaries for a new Python version until very late in its prerelease cycle.

kinterbasdb-3.2a1 ( download, changelog ) is now available.

The primary goals of this release are the removal of internal limits, the exposure of more sophisticated features to the client programmer, and optimization. The code has been overhauled to enhance robustness and performance.

The documentation in general, and the Usage Guide in particular, have already been updated to cover KInterbasDB 3.2.

kinterbasdb-3.1.3 ( download, changelog ) fixes two bugs in the stable 3.1 branch.

kinterbasdb-3.1.2 ( download, changelog ) is now available. This maintenance release of the stable 3.1 branch fixes a handful of bugs.

kinterbasdb-3.1.1 ( download, changelog ) is now available. This is a maintenance release of the stable 3.1 branch.

Note that the Win32 binaries of KInterbasDB linked against the Firebird 1.5 client library (fbclient.dll) also work with (prereleases of) Firebird 2.0; their filenames indicate this.

kinterbasdb-3.1 ( download, changelog ) is now available. This is the recommended stable version.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre9 ( download, changelog ) is the fifth release candidate of kinterbasdb 3.1. This is the recommended stable version.

This release is designated a prerelease instead of a final solely to test compatibility with Python 2.4. The first beta of Python 2.4 has been released, so it is expected that the Win32/Python-2.4 binaries in kinterbasdb-3.1_pre9 will continue to work throughout the lifespan of Python 2.4.

Since some kinterbasdb users rely on the eGenix mx Base Package to represent dates and times, but eGenix.com has not released Win32 binaries for Python 2.4, I've created an unofficial set of such binaries, in file egenix-mx-base-win32-python2.4-UNOFFICIAL_DSR_2004_10_24.zip.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre8 ( download, changelog ) is the fourth release candidate of kinterbasdb 3.1. This is the recommended stable version.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre7 ( download, changelog ) is the third release candidate of kinterbasdb 3.1. This version is ready for production use; it replaces 3.0.2 as the "recommended stable version".

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre6 ( download, changelog ) is second release candidate of kinterbasdb 3.1. It is thought to be stable.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre5 ( download, changelog ) is first release candidate of kinterbasdb 3.1. It is thought to be stable.

Once again, Python 2.3 users should note that it is no longer strictly necessary to use mx.DateTime with kinterbasdb.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre4 ( download, changelog ) is the second beta release of kinterbasdb 3.1. It is thought to be stable.

The Usage Guide has been updated to cover most of the new features of version 3.1. All current and prospective kinterbasdb users should read it (it's included with all source and binary distributions).

There are still no official binaries of the eGenix mx Base Package available for Python 2.3, so I've provided them. Python 2.3 users considering downloading these binaries should note that it is not strictly necessary to use mx.DateTime with kinterbasdb; Python 2.3's standard library datetime module can be substituted, as described in the Usage Guide.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre3 ( download, changelog ) is the first beta release of kinterbasdb 3.1.

Since MAL still hasn't published an mx binary distribution for Py2.3-win32 (AFAIK), the Win32 binaries of kinterbasdb-3.1_pre3 for Python 2.3 are distributed in a zip that also contains the mx Base Package 2.0.4 compiled against Python 2.3a2.

kinterbasdb-CVS-2002_12_31-win32-py2.3a1.zip

This is not a general release, nor is it a general prerelease. I've merely added a zip file containing:

• a binary win32-py2.3a1 distribution of kinterbasdb (CVS snapshot 2002.12.31)
• a binary win32-py2.3a1 distribution of mx Base Package 2.0.4 (because mx 2.0.4 doesn't compile out of the box with Python 2.3a1)

This "pseudo-prerelease" is intended to allow curious Windows users to experiment with kinterbasdb on Python 2.3 (to test drive the specialized pymalloc memory allocator, for example).

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre2 is the second alpha release of kinterbasdb 3.1. It is designated an "alpha" not because it is thought to be unstable, but rather because there is still one planned 3.1 feature that has yet to be implemented (database array support).

The major change in 3.1_pre2 is the addition of internal Python Global Interpreter Lock management, with the intent of delivering higher scalability. For details, see the changelog.

kinterbasdb-3.1_pre1 is an early alpha release of kinterbasdb 3.1, with several new features and substantial internal rewrites (for details, see the changelog as well as the documented goals for 3.1).

For now, kinterbasdb-3.0.2 retains its status as the recommended stable version.

kinterbasdb-3.0.2 is a bugfix release in the 3.0 series. It fixes a single CHAR-handling bug.

I will soon publish the first prerelease of kinterbasdb 3.1, which adds several new features.

The final release of the 3.0.1 bugfix version is now available.

The third prerelease of the 3.0.1 bugfix version is now available.

Also, I have stated my goals for 3.1; I invite feedback.

The second prerelease of the 3.0.1 bugfix version is now available.

The first prerelease of the 3.0.1 bugfix version is now available.

The final release of version 3.0 became available on 2002.03.31.

The fourth prerelease of version 3.0 became available on 2002.03.15. Both the implementation and the documentation are complete; this release is merely a quality assurance measure before the final version.

The third prerelease of version 3.0 became available on 2002.02.28. The implementation is virtually complete, but the documentation is in a preliminary state.

KInterbasDB is under active development again.

The foremost goals of the slightly backward-incompatible version 3.0 are:

1. Enhanced stability
2. Removal of internal limits on the number of connections and cursors
3. Better compliance with the Python DB API 2.0
4. More complete documentation
5. Full support for the distutils (the standard Python Distribution Utilities)