Category: General news

Firebird related news

Blob transfer speed optimizations

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It is well known that transferring blobs in Firebird over high latency networks (i.e. internet) is very slow. The main reason is that transferring blobs always required lots of roundtrips. The good news is that the donations collected in the 21st Firebird Developers Day (FDD) Brazilian conference are being used to sponsor the improvement of blobs transfer speed. The changes are being developed by Vlad Khorsun and the currently results looks very good (see below)!

Note that the improvements are being developed in two phases. The first phase is ready and didn’t require any changes in the Firebird Wire Protocol, so it will be available in the upcoming Firebird 5.02 release. Transfer times were reduced by 33%-49%.

The second phase is still under development and requires changes in the Firebird Wire Protocol, so it will be available only in Firebird 6, but it already shows great results from 94%-97% improvement! In the best case, the time dropped from 12s to 477msecs!

A sad day for the Firebird Project

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As seen in FirebirdSQL official site:

Helen Borrie, a key figure in the Firebird relational database project and a longtime contributor at IBPhoenix, passed away on January 2, 2025. Her contributions were essential to Firebird’s creation and its development over the past 25 years.

Helen’s dedication to the project was unwavering. She played a critical role in establishing the Firebird Foundation and managed its operations as the Foundation’s Secretary. Her work ensured that the project had the structure and support needed to grow and succeed. She often worked behind the scenes, making sure things ran smoothly and that the community had the resources it needed.

She was also the author of The Firebird Book, a comprehensive guide that became an invaluable resource for users and developers. Helen’s writing made Firebird accessible to many, helping them understand and use the database effectively. She was always ready to assist others, sharing her knowledge generously within the user community.

Helen’s quiet leadership and dedication left a lasting impact on Firebird and its users. Her efforts helped build not just a powerful database but also a strong, collaborative community. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her and benefited from her work.

December Issue of EmberWings is Here!

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The Firebird Project is happy to announce that the December issue of EmberWings is now available for download! This special edition marks the magazine’s debut under the Firebird Foundation, bringing you a refreshed focus on both Firebird administrators and application developers alike.

This issue is currently available only to all Firebird Associates and Firebird Partners. It will be available to the general public in December 2025.

Database Workbench 6.6.0 released

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Upscene Productions is proud to announce the availability of the next release of the popular multi-DBMS development tool:

” Database Workbench 6.6.0″

We recently added SQLite support, this release adds support for Windows on ARM64 and full support for MySQL 9, MariaDB 11.3 & 11.4, as well as other new features, improvements and bugfixes.

Mind you: there’s a 50% discount on all Upscene products this month, visit the website for more information.

    Database Workbench 6 comes in 3 different editions with different pricing models, there’s always a version that suits you!

    Firebird Advent Calendar 2024

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    From the Firebird Project

    This December, we invite you to join us in a special countdown that celebrates the holiday season and brings the Firebird community together. Each day, we’ll be unveiling exciting content, surprises, and fun activities to warm up your winter and keep you engaged with everything that makes Firebird special.

    But this isn’t just any countdown—it’s the start of the celebration leading up to Firebird’s 25th Anniversary in 2025! As we count down to this monumental milestone, we’ll share highlights from our past, present, and future, showcasing the power of collaboration that has driven Firebird forward over the years.

    So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and let’s enjoy this festive season as we look ahead to an incredible year for Firebird. Together, we’re writing the next chapter of Firebird’s story—don’t miss a day!

    The Advent Calendar is featured on the Firebird website (Advent Calendar on menu), or use the direct link: https://www.firebirdsql.org/en/advent

    PHP 8.4 final released with Improvements for modern Firebird versions

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    PHP 8.4 released with many Improvements for modern Firebird versions : This update brings crucial enhancements to the built-in PDO-Firebird driver. Now supporting modern data types, including DECFLOAT, the driver offers substantial benefits for PHP applications using Firebird 4 and 5.

    Related PDO-Firebird changes from PHP Changelog :

    • PDO_Firebird:
      • Fixed setAttribute and getAttribute.
      • Feature: Add transaction isolation level and mode settings to pdo_firebird.
      • Added class Pdo\Firebird.
      • Added Pdo\Firebird::ATTR_API_VERSION.
      • Added getApiVersion() and removed from getAttribute().
      • Supported Firebird 4.0 datatypes GH-14896
      • Support proper formatting of time zone types.
      • Fixed GH-15604 (Always make input parameters nullable).
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