Re: Database language

[Marc Truitt <mtruitt at uh dot edu>]

ADRIENE LIM wrote [in part]:
[deletia]
> I had heard that it was the prohibitive cost of Oracle licensing that
> really made this option not so attractive for most customers, but
> with an open-source solution, I was thinking that perhaps the cost
> factor could be overcome and more of us would use this type of
> option, thus building in more reasons for the vendor to minimize any
> tradeoffs.
>
> - Adriene

you've nailed the issue precisely, adriene.

before i came to UH and joined the III community, i was responsible for 
the running of another vendor's ILS that used Oracle as its backend... 
so i'm reasonably familiar with most of the arguments against, as well 
as for, an SQL-based integrated library system (to say nothing of being 
aware of the costs associated with Oracle licensing... fortunately, we 
had a campus license to Oracle and didn't need to get it from the ILS 
vendor).  nevertheless, i continue to believe that an SQL backend is 
*far* preferable to proprietary, black-box backends, for those sites 
that have or can develop RDBMS expertise.

one of the first things i did after arriving here was to query our 
then-III rep about the price of moving to Oracle, and while i won't 
quote figures on an open list, suffice it to say that the numbers quoted 
were so outlandish that staying on the proprietary III backend was a 
no-brainer.  a mySQL backend, on the other hand, would very likely have 
a TCO that would make conversion for my site a realistic and attractive 
possibility.

it is in large measure for this very reason -- TCO -- that we are 
seriously investigating the Innovative-on-Linux option here, when we 
retire our Alpha (probably in the next fiscal cycle).  the simple fact 
of the matter is that many of us want a robust, but more economical 
alternative for our III systems, and a mySQL backend and an 
Intel-architecture Linux platform appear to be an irresistable 
combination, if we can be assured about scalability issues and the 
company's long-term commitment to this approach.

are you listening, Innovative?

cheers,

- mt

--
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Marc Truitt
Assistant Dean for Systems                      Voice  : 713-743-8979
University of Houston Libraries                 e-mail : mtruitt at uh dot edu
114 University Libraries                        fax    : 713-743-9811
Houston, TX 77204-2000    [note new number!] -> cell   : 713-201-0351


"Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out
I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out
Well I hit the rowdy road and many kinds I met there
Many stories told me of the way to get there ..."
                                -- Cat Stevens
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