On Thu, Jul 24, 2003 at 12:45:40PM +0000, ETI - Barry Irchad Kader wrote:
> I would like to have your opinions about open source databases versus
> commercial ones. I had a _serious_ debate with some of my colleagues
> about open source in general but when I started to compare mysql to
> oracle, they literally fired at me as if I had made a blasphemy... They
> are stating that Oracle is above any comparison and that it is the must
> in the universe of relational databases.
MySQL has some serious shortcomings from the point of view of a
transactional database for heavyweight traditional business applications.
I'm not surprised they jumped on that. As you discovered, for full-bore
business-level application the comparison would be between PostgreSQL
and Sybase, Oracle, etc.
I've not looked recently for comparisions--google is your friend--but
I will suggest an approach necessary to successfully be able to carry
any argument for adoption of OS software forward. Ask them to provide
an objective list of capabilities and features necessary for adoption of
ANY database. This should include technical features as well as service/
support. Be sure to note that features only supported by one commercial
or OS database aren't acceptable--e.g., they can't fudge the requirements
list by loading it with Oracle-only features and then tell you PostgreSQL
can't meet the requirements. (The justification for this restriction
is that use of such product-specific capabilities without recourse to
alternative approaches locks you into a single-vendor solution, which is
a bad decision for the good of the corporation.)
By doing so, you can point out you're requesting qualitative criteria
for the selection of *any* solution, commercial or OS, by which it may
be evaluated for use in your environment. Under these circumstances,
PostgreSQL should compare favorably. MySQL may wll fit niches--primarily
relatively static data presentation with limited updates, such as serving
data for a web site--better than expensive, heavyweight databases
like Oracle, and many of the "missing features" won't matter in that
environment.
G'luck,
--
Dave Ihnat
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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