Re: What so special about PostgreSQL and other RDBMS?

From: Galen Boyer <galenboyer_at_hotpop.com>
Date: 22 May 2004 08:27:13 -0500
Message-ID: <u65aooapn.fsf@standardandpoors.com>

On 22 May 2004, quirk_at_syntac.net wrote:
> Thanks Nick, your alternative propositions are much clearer

>> > Proposition 3: There are circumstances under which my client
>> > is better protected against commercial or accidental events,
>> > if he has a human readable backup of the database of the
>> > type Quirk describes.
>> >
>> > I agree with that proposition.
>> 
>> Why do the words filing cabinet come to mind :(

>
> Because your companies record keepers distrust your
> closed-source, unabstraced application's data so much that they
> insist on keeping their trusty paper records.
>
> With proper electronic archives as I've described, they will
> soon enough be conviced to replace the filing cabinets with
> datacabinets, but it will take some convincing, since after
> years of dealing with developers like Volker (my new synonym
> for unskilled labour), and losing access to their data, they
> rightfully do not trust the datasystems.

I'm a huge free software fan. Ask anybody who works with me if I like to talk about Emacs, and they will groan. But the above statement has nothing to do with open or closed software and, frankly, I don't see what point you are making at all.

The bulk of the rest of your statements are the common, database independence arguments, but they are not referencing free versus closed source. Freedom arguments have never been, "if I go with free I'll be able to migrate".

-- 
Galen Boyer

Received on Sat May 22 2004 - 08:27:13 CDT