Re: How to create a DBMS from scratch?

In article <70568f73.0212050538.78da25fc_at_posting.google.com>, Eric Junkermann <eric_at_deptj.demon.co.uk> writes
>emmettwa_at_yahoo.com (Emmett) wrote in message news:<92d3639d.0212041707.f1b767_at_po
>sting.google.com>...
>>
>> It was a total disaster precisely because so much of what was
>> done in Pick couldn't be done at all using a relational DB.
>>
>
>... by the people who were doing it! They had to design and test the
>new application and design and test the data conversion - someone got
>some or all of it wrong. There are enough failed software
>developments in the world that you can probably find one to apparently
>back up any x vs y argument.
>
>I'm afraid that if you want this one to carry any weight you'll have
>to dig up a genuine statement of something that was done in Pick that
>can't be done in a relational DBMS (or maybe just couldn't be done in
>Oracle at the time, since that is _not_ the same thing).
>
Provide a decent response time ...

That was always a strength of Pick - if your app is large relative to the computer it's on, Pick would smoke any other database for speed.

I'm sure others would provide more details about the Oxford debacle, but basically, the management were sold on Oracle, tried to migrate from Pick, and the costs ballooned while the new software was unable to cope. Oh - that's another strength of Pick - you can usually do the same work at half the cost ...

Cheers,
Wol

-- 
Anthony W. Youngman - wol at thewolery dot demon dot co dot uk
Witches are curious by definition and inquisitive by nature. She moved in. "Let 
me through. I'm a nosey person.", she said, employing both elbows.
Maskerade : (c) 1995 Terry Pratchett