Re: A thought about other open source projects - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Chris Browne
Subject Re: A thought about other open source projects
Date
Msg-id 87mxunm5wg.fsf@cbbrowne-laptop.afilias-int.info
Whole thread Raw
In response to A thought about other open source projects  (David Goodenough <david.goodenough@btconnect.com>)
List pgsql-general
bnichols@ca.afilias.info (Brad Nicholson) writes:
> Scott Marlowe wrote:
>>> As with phrases like, "the quickest way to grill a unicorn steak,"
>>> that it can be stated in a few words does not make in possible.
>>
>> Exactly.  The big issue here is that nobody's saying what kind of app
>> they want to write.
>>
> Or what sort of performance requirements are tied to that app.

And that's only one form of "quality of service," too.

- Sometimes you need fast...

- Mighty frequently, "fast enough" is good enough.

- Sometimes you need excruciating correctness (to the point of needing
  2PC!).

- Sometimes you need to not need to respond to all errors.  (e.g. - in
  an embedded application, there may never be a way for an
  "administrator" to get at instances of the system - consider an
  appliance like a router)

- Very frequently, making sure the system "isn't too fragile" is an
  important aspect of QoS.  [1]

- I've really liked the recent comments about the philosophy behind
  NoSQL, where it is suggested to be "postmodern" in the sense that:

    - SQL traditionally has been about storing facts of some solidity,
      and, in contrast...

    - The postmodernist approach to philosophy, and, to a great extent,
      NoSQL systems involves an acceptance of:
      - The absence of objective truth
      - Queries return opinions, not facts

  In effect, this involves a more-or-less philosophical shift that is,
  all the same, an expression of "quality of service."

- The vigorously expressed unfriendliness of the MythTV folk is somewhat
  curious, and I'm not quite sure how to classify it.  I don't think it's
  any of the above.

[1]  <http://www.databasejournal.com/features/db2/article.php/3888026>

[2]  <http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2010/06/12/postmodern-databases/>
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