[Info-vax] OpenVMS x86-64 and RDB and DB's in general on OpenVMS

[IanD]

Multi-part post :-)

Oracle RDB on x86
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Now that OpenVMS x86-64 is at least officially on the radar, has any information been forthcoming about RDB on x86 under OpenVMS?

Oracle I believe is only legally obliged to keep producing RDB on Itanium for as long as HP sell's Itanium's but was wondering about RDB and OpenVMS under VSI's banner and if VSI have been in discussion with Oracle about x86 support on OpenVMS

One of the big omissions for me in the VSI roadmap was no mention of a database product on OpenVMS x86-64

I'm hoping VSI has been in discussion with Oracle about RDB on x86 or at least have informed them that this is where the OpenVMS product will be heading and invite them to join. Perhaps they even asked Oracle would they consider selling back RDB!! After all, RDB rankings keep sliding, now at position 97, down from 93 (see db-engines) as nosql products start to rise and take snippets of market share from relational DB's but are also forging their own market space

The need for a DB of some sorts?
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A DB was once considered mandatory as a product to have available on a given OS platform, Windows and Access (later sql server), Linux and MySQL, OpenVMS and RDB, IBM and DB2 bla bla bla, what to do about OpenVMS x86-64 and <blank>, what should be inserted here if it's not going to be RDB?

Other DB's
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PostgreSQL is slowly rising through the ranks (4th position, up from 5th) but it is tiny compared to the main one's and getting it working on OpenVMS with cluster awareness I suspect is years in the making? 

With nosql db's starting to forge their own market share, stagnating traditional relational DB's market share, I wonder how much energy should be expended in this area anyhow?
I like Cassandra as a nosql DB, no single point of failure sort of melds in with the OpenVMS cluster concept but it also by-passes the need for a traditional OpenVMS style of cluster too

Is having a DB still mandatory when it comes to an OS's success or is that a by-gone concept now and if it's not a by-gone concept, then what DB should VSI be looking at for OpenVMS market attractiveness?