iODBC is an open-source initiative managed by OpenLink Software. It is a platform-independent ODBC SDK and runtime offering that enables the development of ODBC-compliant applications and drivers outside the Windows platform. The prime goals of this project are as follows:

• Simplify the effort of porting ODBC applications from Windows to other platforms
• Simplify the effort of porting ODBC drivers from Windows to other platforms
• Create consistent ODBC-utilization experience across all platforms

History

iODBC emerged from a cooperative effort between OpenLink Software and Ke Jin. OpenLink Software produced a Driver Manager-less ODBC SDK that it branded as Universal DataBase Connectivity ( UDBC) in 1993, because of the sporadic nature of shared library implementations across Unix platforms. Ke Jin used UDBC as inspiration for building a Driver Manager for ODBC outside the windows platform.

Over time Ke Jin and OpenLink Software decided to merge this effort into a single open-source offering under the LGPL license.

This process occurred at a time when the Free Software Foundation sought to have iODBC as a GPL offering. The delay in determining final licensing status for iODBC led to the emergence of UnixODBC and led to a fork in the platform-independent ODBC SDK and runtime that exists today. Drivers and applications written using either SDK have remained compatible (a tribute to both projects).

External links

• iODBC homepage

References