[Info-vax] Layered products, the HP view !?!

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2015-06-20 09:53:33 +0000, Jan-Erik Soderholm said:

> I understand that from your earlier posts around databases and RMS as 
> an possible alternative.
> 
> There is a *huge* difference between Rdb, DB2, MS SQL Server, Oracle 12 
> and similar database products on one hand and the different embedded 
> databases used in handheld devices and similar on the other.

Oracle Rdb, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are all 
non-starters here and seem somewhat less than relevant to the 
discussion, as two of those four don't and won't run on OpenVMS, and 
Oracle is exceedingly unlikely to allow their products to be embedded 
into any operating system without substantial remuneration.

Yes, there exists a range of databases and database products now, from 
something of the ilk of SQLite — which can run entirely in-memory and 
with no run-time storage allocation requirements, and which is very 
common in embedded environments — to some of the more traditional 
databases that you're more familiar with.  For some operations even on 
OpenVMS, SQLite would be the right choice.   For other applications, a 
different database would be appropriate.  PostgreSQL is a common choice 
for x86-64 boxes running various operating systems, and MySQL and 
MariaDB do see wide usage.

n.b. The PostgreSQL port to OpenVMS has encountered specific areas 
where the OpenVMS C run-time environment differs from that of other 
platforms, and that's been fodder for various discussions with HP and 
now VSI.

"Embedded" — like "real-time" — can mean different things to different 
folks, of course.  SQLite is commonly referred to as an embedded 
database as it can be entirely linked into the application — even on 
OpenVMS.  It can also be referred to as a database for embedded 
systems, where some of its features and behaviors — such as the ability 
to run without allocating additional dynamic memory — are very useful.  
 Neither Oracle Classic nor Oracle Rdb are particularly lightweight 
products as compared with SQLite, and neither Oracle product can be 
wholly linked into an application.  Different needs, different 
platforms, different requirements, of course.

An overarching goal of embedding a database into an operating system 
being to encourage programmers to cease the creation of yet newer and 
variously limited data storage implementations — to cease the creation 
of wholly new and unfortunately usually partial solutions to what is an 
already-solved problem.  Much like RMS was embedded into VAX/VMS to 
solve the requirement for an emulation of punched card storage and 
retrieval for applications, an embedded relational database would 
solves problems and requirements that have arisen in more recent years. 
  In this era, that's probably SQLite and PostgreSQL.





-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC