Looking for suggestions regarding a database system.

[Hatonastick]

Hi guys, I'm currently working on converting an old project of mine which has sat rusting away for over 10 years ie. a MUD I wrote in C.  Gernot adding socket commands is what started this off, that and I wanted something to get the brain working again.  Anyway originally it had its own "Database system" (ok, it was a whole bunch of flat files ie. nasty).  I'd prefer all the data to be in one file.  If I go flat file then unless I make every record the same size (which isn't what I want to do, even though it would make life easy), this could get messy.  So...  Any simple 'key:data' databases around that use one DB file, are free (ie. aren't bound by restrictive licensing -- I'm looking at you Berkeley DB), relatively simple (no SQL), cross platform (course being able to put it all into inline C++ or write it in GLB would be ideal)?  Or should I give up and stick with a clunky, multiple tiny files system? 

One possible idea I did have, but quite frankly I can't see how it would improve things and might end up being clunkier, is some sort of archive system that allows me to put small, flatfile records into a single archive (zlib? (kind of big for what I had in mind) miniLZO? (if it does this)) file and allows me to read from them, add and delete files from the archive, overwrite them etc.  Or am I right in that it would just make things clunkier?

[Moru]

Haven't had time to try this one yet:

http://www.glbasic.com/forum/index.php?topic=1977.0

[Hatonastick]

I think that I'll do what Ocean suggested and stick with what I used to use.  Either that or just limit things.  There's not much point in going to the extent of resorting to any sort of SQL (or limited SQL) or similar complexity DB system.  I'm more doing this as an exercise in programming and getting my brain working again than for others.  MUDs are pretty much dead now anyway.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to respond guys.

[Moru]

I wouldn't call MUDs totally dead:

http://www.mudconnect.com/ 

[Hatonastick]

Yeah ok poor choice of words.  I know about that website.  More that they've become more of a 'niche market' compared to their 'golden era'.  Been a while since I went to that website, must admit that I'm surprised that so many are still going all the same.  Good grief, Dreamverse is still going...  Man that brings back memories.  I was a 'creator' briefly on the MUD it was based upon ie. Nightmare (I think I was the only creator that ever managed to accidentally crash the MUD multiple times ), but we all eventually switched to Dreamverse as we thought it was more interesting.  Then we all moved onto MMO's.  Anyway, I'll have to let my friends know about that.

Sorry about that.  That website was a trip down nostalgia lane.