RIM Questions

  I am attempting to use RIM for the first time, and have some
questions about data entry. I successfully created a database with both the
attributes and categories from our TRAILS data layer dumped into separate
fields. My questions:

  1) Can additional fields be added to a data base after it has been
      created?

  2) Can information in a dig_cats file that has been separated by
     a standard field separator (ie., a colon ":") be dumped into
     separate text (or integer) fields?

  3) Can individual fields be deleted from a database to accomplish
     #1 & #2, or do I need to start from scratch?

  Also, a general question before I spend an exorbitant amount of
time attempting to master RIM. J. Thompson mentioned (@ the CSU short course
on GRASS in early July) that other database interfaces (such as dBase III+
or Oracle) were in the process of being developed. Can anyone elaborate on
this? Are there UNIX versions of these databases?

  And one last thought-- Rumor has it that the SUN 386i will not be
supported in the next version of GRASS. With all the hue and cry about
Gov't Spending (Pidiots for Perot, etc) wouldn't supporting existing systems
make more $$$ sense than forcing an agency to buy new equipment?

    Thanx for any help offered!

          Ronald Thomas
           (ront@niwot.cfnr.colostate.edu)
            Natural Resource Spec. (GIS)
                                           Rocky Mountain National Park

  And one last thought-- Rumor has it that the SUN 386i will not be
supported in the next version of GRASS. With all the hue and cry about
Gov't Spending (Pidiots for Perot, etc) wouldn't supporting existing systems
make more $$$ sense than forcing an agency to buy new equipment?

if sun isn't going to support them, wouldn't it make more sense to take
advantage of their super-cheap upgrade deals rather than let your agency
stagnate with outdated technology?

those darn things were a major embarrassment to Sun and a nightmare for
all system administrators. Sun has been doing all that it can to get rid
of those things.

Darrell McCauley