Re: What so special about PostgreSQL and other RDBMS?

From: Howard J. Rogers <hjr_at_dizwell.com>
Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 18:14:43 +1000
Message-ID: <40a5d165$0$31679$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>

Daniel Morgan wrote:

> Jeff Rodriguez wrote:
>

>> _Short Summary_
>>
>>   *PostgreSQL*
>> Free, loaded with features, not particularly fast, some extras
>>
>>   *MySQL*
>> Free, not so loaded with features, very fast, some extras
>>
>>   *SQL Server*
>> /Definetly/ not free, jam packed with features, very fast, lots of extras
>>
>>   *Sybase and Oracle*
>> Can't say, I have no experience with them.
>>
>>
>> _Answer to your question_
>> Suitable for a high-end commercial application? I'm not sure I would 
>> risk my job on it...

>
>
> Interesting list ... Speed and extras. Not one would be on my list
> of most important considerations. How about rating them on:
>
> 1. Security
> 2. Stability
> 3. Scalability
>
> If it isn't secure who cares how fast it is?
> If it isn't stable who cares how many features it has?
> If it won't scale to the number of users who gives a rip about extras?
>
> And, to be quite blunt, if the only operating system it will run on
> is Windows that becomes a limitation affecting all of the above. Any
> time you database server is at risk from every 16 year old on the
> planet. It can't really be called secure or stable.

Oh, I dunno. Stick it behind a firewall with some AV software and at least keep it (OS and AV) minimally up to date, and it will do quite reasonable service, and the script kiddies can be largely forgotten about.

Would I want to do a database on Windows that was servicing 2000 users? No, not really, though I think it might just conceivably stretch that far. But 200? Yes. With rather vital data? Yup. Been there, done that. Can't mention specific names, but the Australian securities market springs to mind.

Windows *is* an operating system. It might not be perfect (which one is?   And you're not allowed to mention VMS in your reply to that rhetorical question!). And it might have its issues (they all do). It might even have more issues than most others. But it does the job, for many people, in many circumstances.

As a happy user, at one time or another, of DOS, Windows Kiddie (er, 2.0 to 98), Windows Proper (NT to XP), Linux, Solaris, Tru64, Novell, BeOS and OS X, all have their quirks and all have their perks. I know which one I'd implement Oracle on (Linux by choice). And I know which one will be easiest to manage (Windows by a long shot).

But life would be far more productive if people would stop dissing the tools that others use perfectly happily, and instead were to concentrate how to make the best use of *whatever* tools that fall readily to hand.

Regards
HJR Received on Sat May 15 2004 - 03:14:43 CDT