Thread:
If someone can, please repond to this post on LWN, from here: http://lwn.net/Articles/101458/ is this mini thread, which, if it is even possible, could use someone who knows how to respond suitably: Sybase releases 'first free production database for Linux' (ZDNet UK) (Posted Sep 9, 2004 20:15 UTC (Thu) by emesvtsedek) (Post reply) The assertion that this is the first free production database for Linux is simply untrue. SAP DB, now Max DB is in fact the first database used in actual production in core business systems that is also freely available. It is also in open source under the GPL. Sybase releases 'first free production database for Linux' (ZDNet UK) (Posted Sep 9, 2004 21:24 UTC (Thu) by zenaan) (Post reply) If you believe that PostgreSQL, even MySQL, is/are not used in "core production systems", you are either mistaken/ uninformed, or simply lying. I suggest you do some research and stop spreading this FUD. It gets tiring to hear it. Sybase releases 'first free production database for Linux' (ZDNet UK) (Posted Sep 13, 2004 13:23 UTC (Mon) by emesvtsedek) (Post reply) Please allow me to clarify my definition, and ask you to reconfirm your comment: By core 'business', not core 'production' systems I am referring to systems in a business which relate to financial or other crucial operational aspects of the business. This traditionally has excluded web backends and other content management concerns. Can you identify a comparable ERP or accounting system which depends on Postgresql or MySQL in a manner similar to the relationship between SAP and SAP DB? I would be very grateful to know of such examples. -- Homepage: http://www.soulsound.net/ Please respect the confidentiality of this email as sensibly warranted.
Yo, > If someone can, please repond to this post on LWN, from here: > http://lwn.net/Articles/101458/ If you want to reply, please do. I regret that I let my LWN membership lapse. I personally do not respond to these sorts of bombastic pronouncements. That post looks to me like a troll rather than anyone you really wants feedback. FYI, there is a company which produces a commercially successful ERP product on Postgres: OpenMFG. Apparently a competitor using similar technology is starting up in the Netherlands, and I hear constantly from the manufacturing sector -- some of whom have databases in the hundreds of millions of records, so they're obviously not just "testing". For myself, I have clients running PG in production for data warehousing, legal calendaring, human resources and placement. In fact, I've been able to support myself comfortably for the last 3 years doing PG work completely unrelated to content management systems. The reason Sybase has offered this free database, I am convinced, is the Software Developer's Forum survey showing that PostgreSQL was pusing Sybase off the market, numerically speaking (that is, Sybase was 4th and PG was 5th for old projects, and the positions were reversed for new projects). -- --Josh Josh Berkus Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco
Thanks to those who responded. Here's my (clearly slightly biting) response: --- So it appears you are simply uninformed. Given that, it is frustrating that you don't bother to do the research yourself. Just throw some bombastic comments out there and let the "Free Software Supporters" research and refute you if they can, right. That is worthy of little more than slashdot. You might find a warmer reception over there... Short of having time to do more (of your) research, I suggest you go read up on the following: - OpenMFG (commercial ERP, support, a competitor company in the works) - Production PostgreSQL deployments in the TB (Terabytes/Tibibytes), hundreds of millions of records -- data warehousing -- legal calendaring -- human resources -- placement -- much more - SQL-Ledger - GnuCash - Freemoney - Xiwa - GNU Enterprise Granted these are not as widely known as SAP (yet), they are clearly evidence that people were looking at ERP/Accounting on OSS long before the recent "converts" came to the scene, and in some cases there are production deployments of these systems. This (obviously, as it shouldn't be necessary to point out the empirically observed behaviour of free software) will accelerate over time. Feature-wise, PostgreSQL is now starting to push Sybase off the market (point in time recovery, on line backups, clustering) - as in, be a viable "full replacement". It apparently used to be 5th, just after Sybase, but has recently started displacing Sybase more consistently, for new deployments. There is no surprise at all that Sybase is acting as they are. You don't gut part of your market unless you've already lost it. You might be a fan-boy, but don't appear to be a great friend, of Free Software. If you want to be held in esteem as part of the community, you'll need to raise your bar.
Zeenan, > Given that, it is frustrating that you don't bother to do the research > yourself. Just throw some bombastic comments out there and let the "Free > Software Supporters" research and refute you if they can, right. That is > worthy of little more than slashdot. You might find a warmer reception > over there... Hey, take it easy! There's no call for this kind of hostility on a mailing list. Further, I did not read Yo's post in to be anything similar to your interpretation; I think you're just slamming the bearer of bad news. We win people over by educating them, NOT by attacking them. -- --Josh Josh Berkus Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco
On Fri, 2004-09-17 at 03:31, Josh Berkus wrote: > Zeenan, > > > Given that, it is frustrating that you don't bother to do the research > > yourself. Just throw some bombastic comments out there and let the "Free > > Software Supporters" research and refute you if they can, right. That is > > worthy of little more than slashdot. You might find a warmer reception > > over there... > > Hey, take it easy! There's no call for this kind of hostility on a mailing > list. Further, I did not read Yo's post in to be anything similar to your > interpretation; I think you're just slamming the bearer of bad news. > > We win people over by educating them, NOT by attacking them. I actually already apologised in a follow up post, for being so biting, upon re-reading my post.