Re: DB2 or Oracle

Jan Gelbrich wrote:

> "Daniel Morgan" <dmorgan_at_exesolutions.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> news:3D7623DD.CD96456_at_exesolutions.com...
> > Sad_but_true_at_nospam.com wrote:
> >
> > I could point you to excellent documentation and so can just about
 everyone
> > else. Go to ibm.com and find things that support your prejudice. Go to
> > oracle.com and find things that run counter to it. Ask at c.d.ibm-db2 and
 you
> > will find people that agree with you. Ask at c.d.o.server and they will
> > disagree. So are you really looking for independent information or just
 for
> > people that agree with the decision you have already made.
> >
> > I'll not take sides as I think the entire issue ridiculous. Either tool
 will
> > do just about any job put to it. Either tool will likely frustrate you as
 you
> > learn it. And either tool will someday seem better as you get more
> > experience.
> >
> > Unless you have stock in either IBM or Oracle I would suggest you make the
> > decision based on other criteria than you have chosen. Here are a few I
 would
> > suggest.
> >
> > 1. Which tool will be better on my resume' when it comes to maximizing my
> > future opportunitites and income?
> >
> > 2. Which tool will be easier to find resources for when I try to learn it
> > (that means books, usenet groups, internet domains, magazines, training
> > classes, people you work with or know that have experience with one or the
> > other). You can answer those questions yourself by searching at your local
> > book store, Amazon.com, dice.com, etc.
> >
> > 3. Do you know or have any interest in C?
> >
> > 4. Do you know or have any interest in Java?
> >
> > Beyond that all you are debating is whether red wine is better than white
> > wine.
> >
> > Daniel Morgan
> >
>
> IMHO, this had been the only substantial response to the question - very
> worth the reading.
>
> But there are more people interested into a comparison than You might
> think - me too, e.g. ...
>
> O.K., both Big Tankers can swim and load and transport megatons of oil
> around the world,
> but I think sad_but_true wanted to know if someone may know about a summary
> of comparison,
> what each of both could do "better" or not.
>
> This is: is there somebody out there who has experience with _both_
> databases, a person that could really compare ?
> And a person that would kindly share some of his thoughts ?
>
> Jan

When you say better ... do you mean better for every generic task (OLTP, OLAP, etc.) or better for a specific task. When you say better do you mean running on WinXP or UNIX or on an Amdahl? When you say better do you mean performance? Or do you mean scalability, security, etc. When you say better? Do you mean fewer number of lines of coding or easier coding or easier to learn to code?

This entire "better" thing is marketing hyperbole fit for the public relations types but completely beneath the needs of any thinking logical person. We are talking RDBMS's here ... not toilet paper or fabric softener.

When you say better perhaps you should use my criteria ... what product gives me the greatest financial return for the hours invested in learning it. When the paychecks stop coming I stop writing code. What's best ... by my definition ... is what is best for me and my family. And that is measured in hard cash. If someone would show me a career path that paid more in Fortran IV or ALGOL I'd go back to that. Gates and Ellisson are not doing this as an act of charity, they have their eye clearly on the ball when they swing the bat, and we shouldn't get swept up in their marketing frenzies and forget why we are all here.

$$$$$

Daniel Morgan Received on Thu Sep 05 2002 - 10:05:30 CDT