[SGVLUG] Running MS Access Programs on a Linux Distro?

[Arthur Baldwin]

________________________________
 From: "Dave <3 Ubuntu" <dave at iheartubuntu.com>
To: SGVLUG Discussion List. <sgvlug at sgvlug.net> 
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 12:28 PM
Subject: [SGVLUG] Running MS Access Programs on a Linux Distro?
 
Hi all. I have an old program developed in MS Access and would like to run it in Ubuntu. My older brother originally wrote the app in Access back in the late 90s early 2000s and to run it, it needs MS Access. Is there an easy way to get this working? Id like to run it natively, not use MS Access in WINE. Ive come across a KDE program called Kexi and also LibreOffice has a similar program called Base. I dont beleive either of these can import queries or forms so not sure what good they would be for me.

I am not well versed on MS Access or any database languages for that matter. So Im not sure what to search on, which direction to head, etc. Just from some basic searches I may be able to convert the MS Access MDB file to an SQLite file and then run the app in a web browser. Does this make sense to anyone? Sounds easy, but not sure how to do it or if its even possible.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Dave

Dear Dave,

I have been designing MS Access apps since 1996 and have been looking for such a solution since 1998.  Unfortunately there is not yet a good solution.  The closest that I've come is to use OpenERP, which is an already completed "Enterprise Resource Planning" application that can be used "natively" either on Windows, Linux, or Mac.  Unfortunately, the Linux installation is still very difficult.  You may want to try installing the Windows version(on a Windows machine) just to get an idea of what OpenERP is all about.  Kexi is not mature enough and is not compatible with the Access way of doing things (e.g. Table names must use only lowercase names).  Glom is just not flexible enough.  Base has a long way to go in "ease of use" and detailed features that aren't finished.  
The "promise of Access" was to have something that would operate well over the LAN, but alas...MS Access never delivered even that much.  Anyone who has tried such a feat knows that after two people start using an Access app, things slow down to a crawl, even if you've done a great job of writing the app.  This is one area where Linux apps tend to shine much brighter.  
There is another somewhat viable alternative called "Hobo".  Hobo rests on the foundations of Ruby and "Ruby On Rails".  Unfortunately this "website design system" is also difficult to install, and there aren't any decent IDE's for it yet.  Another problem with Hobo is that the development process, although it is going forward at a steady pace, is "disjointed".   Further improvements are always causing more "breakage".  And the documentation is sorely lacking.  Hobo still needs more time to mature.
I will be keeping my eyes open for any new developments for both Hobo and OpenERP.  And I will be trying to learn how to correctly install OpenERP on a KUbuntu 12.04 Beta machine for the next couple of weeks.
If I can get OpenERP installed and working on KUbuntu, then I'm quite certain that learning all I need to know about Hobo development will become an unnecessary task.
As far as "exporting" and/or "importing" existing data from Access into any Linux database, it's probably more trouble than it's worth.  And it will probably remain that way until MDBTools (Linux app set) matures much more, to the point where it can directly export into MySQL or PostGreSQL.
And yes, WINE is a "hopeless cause" especially where Access is concerned.  I could never figure out why someone would want to "emulate" such a buggy OS anyway.
I wish I had better news.  I've been patiently waiting and watching with high expectations for something to come along that could directly replace Access.  MS Access did get something right.  It was and is still the ONLY app (for any OS) that does an unbelievably great job of teaching the theory of good database design practices to a novice.  Until the Linux community does a great job of really replacing Access with a native  Linux product, Linux will still be way behind Windows in one "small" but extremely important area.
Until that day...we must "fight on" the best we can.

Sincerely,

Arthur Baldwin
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