Subject: Re: more survey summary

From: Carole Goble <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 18:03:04 BST

Paul

>> I tried using Postgres (on Sun sparcs) in a lab with 15 students each with
>> their own database (which isn't quite what you want).

>if you want to give people a taste of database use, why not use a real
>SQL engine.  or, if you can't afford it, ingres89 (which doesn't do any
>neat stuff but is smaller and more reliable and also runs on sparcs).

Tricky if you want to teach them about active databases and extensible
systems and other exciting things 'cos they all know SQL anyway. I interpret
your message to mean that I should strike any teaching/use of Postgres
on courses to potential db researchers from my graduate course, giving the
reason as `they should all use Oracle and triggers'. 

Carole

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From: [email-masked] (Paul M. Aoki)
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 93 11:36:02 -0700

hi carole.

Carole Goble <[email-masked]> writes:
> systems and other exciting things 'cos they all know SQL anyway.

well, yeah. :-)  i was talking about the people who are just trying
to show ugrads something about databases (which is what i meant by
"a taste of database use", sorry if that wasn't clear) but can't 
afford an educational license for a commercial system.
if i didn't think people should use postgres in an educational
environment i would said, "i don't think people should use postgres
in an educational environment."  all i was saying was, there are
lower-function (but still free) alternatives if you want to see
what a transaction is.

presumably someone (like a grad student) who wants to see the 
"bleeding edge" is no longer in the "taste of database use" category 
:-)  (i would hope so, anyway.)  such people (who are probably 
implementing their own prototype systems) are presumably more 
prepared to bleed :-)
--
  Paul M. Aoki  |  CS Div., Dept. of EECS, UCB  |  [email-masked]
                |  Berkeley, CA 94720           |  ...!uunet!ucbvax!aoki