Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!bg0l+ From: bg0l+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bruce E. Golightly) Newsgroups: comp.databases Subject: Re: Relational Database, with a Graphical type field Message-ID: Date: 27 Jun 90 12:45:16 GMT References: <1176@abcom.ATT.COM> <1700.26863d4e@spacm1.uucp> <898@dgis.dtic.dla.mil>, <1189@abcom.ATT.COM> Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 11 In-Reply-To: <1189@abcom.ATT.COM> The Ingres extensions I talked about are still consistant with the requirements be specified. What Ingres Corp is providing is a user-defined data type, which might very well be graphical in nature. Along with that comes to ability and responsibility to define appropriate functions for manipulating the new type. These functions might well include over-loading of something basic like the plus sign operator. It sounds like the correct conclusions have already been drawn in the discussion. OO extensions for a DBMS will provide an enormous potential for sophisticated developers. That power, however, carries with it weighty responsibilities.