# ACEDB User Group Newsletter - March 2000

This is the first attempt at a monthly news letter, if you don't like the format or there is something missing then please email me with suggestions (edgrif@sanger.ac.uk).

This issue includes information about who the acedb developers are and how to contact us, where to pick up acedb releases and whats new in acedb.

### Who are the acedb developers and how do I contact them ?

Developers:

- Ed Griffiths (edgrif@sanger.ac.uk), Simon Kelley (srk@sanger.ac.uk) (ext 4780/4991, room D3-22)
- Richard Durbin (rd@sanger.ac.uk)
- Jean Thierry-Mieg (works at CNRS, Montpellier, France. email: mieg@crbm.cnrs-mop.fr)

You should contact Ed and Simon for acedb problems in the first instance.

mail to: acedb@sanger.ac.uk (is forwarded to all the above)

web site: http://www.acedb.org/ (you can log problems/suggestions from here)

news group: bionet.software.acedb

user group mailing list: acedbg

Anyone can be added to the "acedbg" users circulation list by sending an email request to the acedb address. Notification of the monthly users group/gripe meeting is currently circulated by this method as are these newsletters.

### New directories for Release Versions of Acedb

If you need to pick up new/existing versions of acedb code/binaries then this is just a reminder about where to find them internally within the Sanger Centre:

Acedb source/binaries can be found under `"/nfs/disk100/acedb"`. All source/binaries directories begin with `"RELEASE."`, those ending with `".BUILD"` include source as well as binaries.

The ones you should look at are:

`RELEASE.SUPPORTED`
  this is stable publically released code (currently 4_7l)
`RELEASE.DEVELOPMENT`
  this is the monthly build of the reasonably stable development code (currently 4_8b)
`RELEASE.EXPERIMENTAL`
  this is the overnight build of the latest 4_8 code, you should not use this without first talking to acedb developers

## New Features

This months development build of Acedb is 4_8c which includes a number of new features.

### Acedb and GTK

xace has used the Athena widget set (the code that does the buttons, scroll bars etc) ever since it first started. This widget set is now out of date and as well as just looking very clunky, does not provide support for facilities such as "drag and drop". An even greated problem is that it is not portable to Windows machines. Simon Kelley has produced a version of xace which uses GTK, a free/Open Software widget set. This widget set not only supports more modern facilities but has also been ported to Windows.

To try out the new interface you need to use Acedb 4_8 code, please send comments to "acedb".

### Acedb on Windows

As alluded to in the previous item, we now have acedb running on Windows platforms. Currently its possible to use xace, tace and the socket-based version of the server (see below item for more on the server). In addition there is a smart/trendy install package for the windows version which should make setting acedb up on a machine much easier. You should contact Simon Kelley for more information about this version of acedb.

### The Windows Version Acedb + Worm CD !

It's now possible to install acedb and a version of the C. elegans database on to a Window system from a CD. This can be done in the same way that most other Windows programs are installed via a neat install program. Once again, see Simon Kelley for information about this.

### A Sockets based server/client (password system etc)

Previously acedb used a protocol called RPC for its client/server communication, this had a number of drawbacks, portability being a major one. The server has now been recoded to use sockets with the following advantages:

- we now have a version of the client/server running on Windows machines
- a new password based system has been produced for giving users access to databases.
- Perl and Java programs can now access the server directly instead of via the ace client providing better performance/reliability

Documents for the server can be found at:

- http://www.acedb.org/Development/wdoc/SOCKET_aceserver.html
- http://www.acedb.org/Development/wdoc/SOCKET_interface.html

The former is the administrators guide to setting up the server/database, the latter is for programmers who want to interface directly to the server via TCP sockets.

Once we are sure the code is stable Ed (edgrif@sanger.ac.uk) will organise a short (1/2 day) course on how to set up and use the new server.

## Education

Sylvia Martinelli (sylvia@sanger.ac.uk) is running a 3 day internal (Sanger centre only) introductory course on acedb on 22nd-24th March. If haven't used acedb much before and you need to know about it, then this is the course for you. Contact Sylvia direct if you are interested, there may still be a few places left.

## !! TODAY !! Next User Group Meeting - D213, 2.30pm, Thurs 9th March

Last modified: Mon May 21 15:41:37 BST 2001