# Ruby for office database application

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [July 16, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565 "2006-07-16T02:47:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/1 "2006-07-16T02:47:49Z")

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Hi,  
I have volunteered at my local charity to develop a database  
application, which  
keeps track of contacts, donations, organizations etc.  
i decided to use ruby for the job

My question now is what frontend/approach should i use?  
local hosted rails or desktop gui?(eg fox/gtk gui)?

i was thinking of using rails, but i noticed most similar apps use  
either access or  
sql server 2000 database with a .net/visual basic frontend.

I would really welcome any advice or tips.

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**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/2 "2006-07-16T04:25:44Z")

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pedro alvarez wrote:

> either access or  
> sql server 2000 database with a .net/visual basic frontend.
> 
> I would really welcome any advice or tips.

If you have Windows machines, I’d recommend using “Instant Rails”. It  
comes bundled with Ruby, Rails, Apache and MySQL, so you don’t need  
anything else except a browser and some kind of text editor to develop  
your application.

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**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/3 "2006-07-16T14:43:29Z")

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I’d strongly recommend a web interface, like Rails. Easier to make it  
work  
than fiddling with gui libraries, and if you want to roll out to other  
clients it’s effortless.

d

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**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/4 "2006-07-16T14:49:39Z")

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+1 for a web interface.

Browsers are very versatile, html is widley known and with some ajax  
thrown  
in appropriately the app can feel very smooth.

Also, if everybody likes the app, and they travel, it becomes easier to  
move  
it out to the big bad net for mobile use.

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**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/5 "2006-07-16T17:51:05Z")

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On 7/16/06, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> pedro alvarez wrote:  
> [Question snipped away]  
> If you have Windows machines, I’d recommend using “Instant Rails”. It  
> comes bundled with Ruby, Rails, Apache and MySQL, so you don’t need  
> anything else except a browser and some kind of text editor to develop  
> your application.

Completely agree for the ease.  
However the preinstalled Webrick server and SQLite will probably rock  
for  
you with much less ressources.  
But it all depends on what you have already on your box.  
Check out the Rails page [http://www.rubyonrails.org/](http://www.rubyonrails.org/) before taking any  
decision.

For your question concerning access etc stuff, do not worry, MySQL,  
SQLight,  
Firebird or Postgre on the DB side. On the Web side you have Apache,  
lighttpd, Webrick or Mongrel. Really no need to worry about propertyware  
at  
all!!!

Cheers  
Robert

–  
Deux choses sont infinies : l’univers et la bêtise humaine ; en ce qui  
concerne l’univers, je n’en ai pas acquis la certitude absolue.

- Albert Einstein

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@pedx78](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pedx78)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-for-office-database-application/98565/6 "2006-07-17T20:17:17Z")

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I agree about the Instant Rails Development comment for Windows users.  
If you decide to move away from Instant Rails, portability is simple.  
I think using the Rails framework will give you the most productivity  
based on the usage of a backend database, but you have to make the  
ultimate decision since you know the customers intent and your own  
skill set. Good Luck!

\_Steve