Re: Apparently the real competition is Sybase...

xzilla(at)users(dot)sourceforge(dot)net (Robert Treat) writes:
> Taken from an article discussing recent additions to the osx platform
> (http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=877426788&fp=16&fpid=0)
>
> "OS X ships with two open source database managers, MySQL and
> PostGresQL. However, for large-scale databases, these free options
> may not suffice. To fill that gap, Sybase has ported its
> enterprise-grade DBMS, ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise), to OS
> X. ASE 12.5 delivers the full range of capabilities found in Unix
> and Windows editions of Sybase's server, including scaling, data
> protection, graphical management, and a rich SQL command set. "
>
> To be honest I can't recall ever using it, but I can't imagine
> sybase having better scaling, data protection, or better SQL command
> set than postgresql. Anyone have the insider knowledge on what makes
> sybase so good or can we chalk this one up to the "clueless pundit"
> factor?

ASE is a more modern version of what Microsoft originally used to
create their "enterprise" database product; for better or worse, it's
certainly a mature, scalable database system.

Until version 11, Sybase was strongly criticized for only supporting
page locks, and not row locks. (SAP long refused to port their R/3
application to Sybase for this specific reason, and it was quite a big
deal when Microsoft modified their version to support row locks
BECAUSE OF THIS.)

I expect that reality was that _proper_ Sybase application design
involved pushing updates off to some central "TP manager-like" process
which would make the locking issues disappear, but that is quite a
different design than people _usually_ use, and certainly imposes on
system architecture.

It seems unlikely that Sybase ASE is either _spectacularly_ better or
worse than PostgreSQL, but for those that feel more comfortable with
there being a familiar-sounding company that could be sued, or with
the notion that you'd have to pay money for anything that is worth
anything, ASE would certainly be more "comfortable" than PostgreSQL.
--
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http://cbbrowne.com/info/internet.html
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