Re: [TCLUG:15201] Linux DBMS

[chewie@wookimus.net]

On Mon, Mar 27, 2000 at 11:45:45AM -0800, Carl Wilhelm Soderstrom wrote:
> Chewie wrote:
> >PostgreSQL is known for its stability and a particularly important
> >selling point is it's support for transactions; something that MySQL does not
> >have and may not have in the future.
>         actually, I belive there was an article in Linux Journal a few
> months ago, about MySQL, which stated that there *is* a patch to give MySQL
> transaction capability.

Hmm...  I hadn't heard about this, but I'm sure it's more than possible.

>         however, it's not popular, and hasn't been merged into the main
> source tree. if you really want transactions, go for a different dbase.
> MySQL's strength is speed and simplicty; let others do the fancy stuff. :)

MySQL isn't all that different from PostgreSQL.  The common things they share
include the SQL language, which all datasets are built on, including insert,
delete, and update functions.  Complex business rules can be written as part of
the server interfacing the database, or as rules and triggers built into the
dataset (which PostgreSQL can do and MySQL has a more difficult time with.)

>         my understanding is that transactions (as opposed to table locking,
> which MySQL does), are more valuable in situations where many users are
> writing to the same table simultaneously. this is probably not that
> important in small websites; nor in small offices (M$ Access uses table
> locking, AFAIK).

<rant>
	M$ Access is, IMHO, a piece of $*@#!  You can have absolutely NO concurrent
	users on an Access database.  The minute you do, you spell your death.
	It's slow, inconvenient, and a bastardization of the SQL standard.  It can
	take it's cousin, FoxPro, to $%** with it!
</rant>

IMHO, it doesn't take any more to write an app in Java/Python/<Insert Web App
Server of Choice> than it does to make an Access DB.  You're MUCH better off
using a psuedo ANSI DBMS like MySQL, or an ANSI compliant DBMS like PostgreSQL,
Informix, or Sybase, than falling victim to Access or FoxPro.

Sorry, but I've had some REALLY bad experiences with FoxPro/Access database
apps in the past.  anyway, just look around.  Grab the DBMS Howto, browse
linux.org for info on projects, apps, etc.

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Chad Walstrom                         mailto:chewie@wookimus.net 
a.k.a ^chewie, gunnarr                http://wookimus.net/chewie

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