Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!hacgate!ashtate!dbase!awd
From: awd@dbase.UUCP (Alastair Dallas)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: dBase III+ Indexing Algorithms
Summary: B-Trees are well-known
Message-ID: <317@dbase.UUCP>
Date: 6 Dec 89 00:05:09 GMT
References: <7284@cs.utexas.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Ashton Tate Devlopment Center Glendale, Calif.
Lines: 19

In article <7284@cs.utexas.edu>, widman@cs.utexas.edu (Lawrence Widman) writes:
> This is posted for a friend who does not have news access, but can receive
> internet mail.  Please direct replies to freedman@euclid.math.temple.edu.

Sorry, but it's a heck of a lot easier for me to post than to email under our
current setup.

> Can anyone give my information
> about what algorithms dBase III+ (and the clones, perhaps) use to do indexing?

The answer is: no, anyone (like me) who knows the algorithms that dBASE III
uses can't divulge them.  However, if you were to read "The Art of Computer
Programming, Vol. 3" by Knuth (Addison-Wesley, 1973!) pp. 473-479, with 
particular attention to the bottom of page 478, you'd have a fair idea of
what's what.  It's not like we're talking atomic secrets here :-).

Hope it helps.

/alastair/