Re: What so special about PostgreSQL and other RDBMS?

Noons <wizofoz2k_at_yahoo.com.au.nospam> wrote in message news:<40af738f$0$1585$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au>...
> Joel Garry wrote:
>
> > The problem is the applications software is not a small
> > interchangeable thing. I know of a company that is running on some
> > old VMS stuff that was heavily customized. Their HQ on another
>
> You know of ONE company where it does not apply. Abnormal case that
> by no means defines an industry.

Unfortunately, that is just one example of a general case that I've observed since I've been doing software. I don't know about you, but a lot of my work has been of the "well, we finally had to get a budget to get ourselves out of this hole we dug" variety. Oftentimes that means implementing whatever the nice salesman sold, or cleaning up the mess resulting therefrom.

>
>
> > A balance must be maintained between the wheel and the dead hamster.
> > Simply not upgrading is a false economy, since it loses the effect of
> > getting major enhancements with the development costs amortized among
> > many other customers. Eventually you are in a deep hole and have to
>
> If you DO need the new features, then upgrade. If you don't, stay
> where you are. In what way does having the entire source
> code for everything and the kitchen sink help you there?

Well, I'm not sure that I said that it did. Regardless, there are too many variables to make a simple if-then-else. It boils down to a strategic vision, and commercial operations with a static vision die. Even the case of the "most likely to be ok as a mature product" - accounting systems - need to be updated. Most other applications need to adapt and grow with business, or die. Government? The most bizarre mix of leading and trailing edge imaginable. Niemec told an anecdote that he offered to upgrade a ridiculously old application (Oracle V4, I think he said) for _free_ and they wouldn't go for it. Would you want to be the new guy maintaining that?

jg

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