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From: cohend@roadkill.rtp.dg.com (Dave Cohen)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: db_VISTA III -vs- Relational DBMS'
Message-ID: <1990Aug8.144318.10203@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Date: 8 Aug 90 14:43:18 GMT
References: <15660@s.ms.uky.edu>
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Reply-To: cohend@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC
Lines: 70


Eric -
    
    In general, I agree with this. I am also looking at db_VISTA.
    But I disagree on a couple points.

In article <15660@s.ms.uky.edu>, ericd@ms.uky.edu (Dan Chaney) writes:
|> E-mail bounced to 'andrew@lccinc.uucp'...
|> 
|> My group just compared db_VISTA, MDBS_V, Informix, and Ingres on MS-DOS.  We
|> will be supporting our application under SunOS as well.
|> 
|> We chose db_VISTA for the following reasons:
|> 
|>   Network model is fine for our application.
|> 
|>   C library MUCH better to program in than imbedded language.
Using function calls is much more difficult than using an embedded 
language. Plus, a good SQL implementation will preoptimize and
store the embedded statements.

|> 
|>   A 4GL might be "powerful" but it isn't as flexible as C with libraries.
|> 
|>   The 4GLs where geared toward their forms interface, again not nearly as
|>   flexible as a C user interface library.
|> 
|>   db_VISTA can undoubtedly outperform the 4GLs under DOS.
|> 
|>   Technical support has been good.
|> 
|>   Its inexpensive, no run time licenses.
The 'no run time license' is a big win.

|> 
|>   Its portable to a large number of environments.
|> 
|>   You can get full source.
|> 
|>   It has a reasonable SQL interface.
No - it can only query thru the SQL interface using SELECT statements,
plus you have to set up your own views. There is no DELETE, UPDATE, or
INSERT statement support.

|> 
|>   It doesn't require a memory resident module in DOS and therefore is not
|>   a "memory hog".
|> 
|>   Function calls are straightforward and easy to use.
|> 
|>   At least 8 people on the net recommended it highly to me.
|> 
|> ... and the list goes on, but these are most of the major factors for us.
|> 
|> Eric
|> 
|> -- 
|> []  Eric B. Durbin  (606) 257-4581      []                
ericd@ms.uky.edu  []
|> []  University of Kentucky              []               
ericd@UKMA.BITNET  []
|> []  165 Markey Cancer Center            []      {rutgers,
uunet}!ukma!ericd  []
|> []  Lexington, KY      40536-0093       []      
eric.durbin@ukwang.uky.edu  []
|> 
David Cohen                      |    "There's nothin' wrong with goin'    
cohend@dg-rtp.dg.com             |     nowhere, baby, but we should be   
{world}!mcnc!rti!dg-rtp!cohend   |     should be goin' nowhere fast."       
Data General Corporation, RTP, NC|                  - Streets of Fire