Databases on Linux

Hi there,

I'm looking into the possibilty of moving some of my development effort onto
the Linux platform. I'm employed as a VB/Access programmer and so I want to
look at the possibility of (firstly) moving some of the current Access
systems over to Linux.

Currently one of our main customers is looking at upgrading their NT server
and implementing Oracle/SQL Server. The Access system we have built for them
is split into two parts: The main forms/queries, which sits on their desktop
machines, and the main data tables, which currently sit on the server. This
is not the worlds best solution I know, and we are experiencing performance
problems with the system. Hence the investigation into a "proper" back-end
database system.

SQL server migration is (I'm told) a relatively easy job. Mainly, I suppose,
because the two packages (Access & SQL) are written by the same company.

Oracle I'm not too sure of and my investigation continues on that one.

The other possibility open to me is to utilise a Linux server instead of an
NT server. I've aware of 4 database systems available on Linux that might be
suitable for this task: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Sybase, and Oracle.

Now for the questions:

1. Does anyone have any experience of this kind of migration that they could
share with me?
2. For the meantime I want to keep the Access system on the desktops, mainly
because that is what the users are used to. Are there any problems with the
integration of the two databases?
3. I'm assuming the only connection option I have is ODBC?
4. Is anyone aware of any comparisons that may have been done by people in
the past that could help me make a decision?
5. Have I missed out any databases?
6. If (in the future) I wanted to move the desktop machines to Linux, are
there any tools like Access/VB available (or in the pipeline) that I could
use to re-build the "front-end"?

Of course any other information/advice that people wish to offer for this
subject would be gratefully received. :)


TIA


Richard.