This page hasn't been updated since 1999 or so. I'll be updating it real soon.
This page is devoted to information about using SQL databases on the Macintosh, particularly the application and drivers I have written to talk to mSQL and MySQL databases.
Contents:
The state of SQL on the Macintosh is pretty good right now. Drivers are hard to come by, but the Merant ODBC Driver Manager and drivers are available. While there is no SDK to create ODBC drivers, drivers do exist for most of the major database products. An older driver manager is also available from Open Link Both company's products work on MacOS 8/9 and Merant has announced support for MacOS X.
Oracle has native 7.3 drivers available for the MacOS, but you'll find no information about them anywhere on their website. If you'd like to get a copy, contact your Oracle representative and ask for part Z23078-01. Sybase and Pervasive both have native and ODBC drivers available, too. Other products that work on the Mac include FrontBase, OpenBase, and PrimeBase.
For using SQL databases on the Mac, there are a couple applications that I know of. The first is MacSQL Monitor (which works with MySQL, mSQL, Oracle, and ODBC databases), which I did most of the development on. Also available are SyBrowser (which works with Sybase and MS SQL Server databases), LSQL (for talking with Sybase), and OMNIS Studio (application builder that supports Oracle, Sybase, Omnis native datafile, and pre-7 DB2).
If you're looking for ODBC drivers for MySQL, please show (financial) interest at cosource, a co-op for open source software. My company is willing to port MyODBC to the Mac, once we're sure we'll get paid for our time.
If anyone has more information, I'd love to here it. Macintouch has a page on ODBC and the Mac.
MacSQL Monitor is an application that lets you interact with SQL databases from the MacOS. I've been working on this for more than two years in various forms. MacSQL Monitor is now distributed by Runtime Labs, so please visit their website for more information or to download a copy.
Both mSQL and MySQL work on MacOS X. mSQL is not portable to MacOS 8/9 (lack of mmap support), and I started a port of MySQL to MacOS 8/9 but I don't know that I'll ever finish it, as other projects are taking up my time.
If you're looking to run MySQL on MacOS X Server, Anjo Krank has developed patches to make it work.
I have successfully ported the client APIs to MacOS 8/9. Beta versions of both drivers are available for download. The drivers require a PowerPC processor, and have been tested with MacOS 8.1 and greater. The drivers should work at least back to 7.5, but I no longer have a computer capable of running anything less than 8.1, so they haven't been tested with earlier system releases.
I've turned over the licensing and distribution of the client libraries to Runtime Labs. In general, there is only a minor fee for use of the library for internal use. Licenses for commercial distribution are negotiated on an individual basis.
In an attempt to head off angry emails, I'll explain why. I'm now working full-time for Runtime Labs, and it isn't easy to make a living writing software while living in New York City. I've put a lot of effort into my software efforts, and now I need to support myself with them. We're not trying to be greedy, but if someone else is going to make money off my work, they need to share the proceeds.
While the MySQL server software is now under the GPL, all the source files I used in porting the client to the MacOS state that they are in the public domain. I know the advantages of open source and I think it is great if you work for a company that can afford to release its works under an open source license. However, other people are using my software to make money without compensating me, and I've got bills to pay. If you're interested in using the MySQL client libraries, send email to licensing@rtlabs.com and we'll be happy to work something out with you.