Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!merk!uvmark!ray
From: ray@uvmark.uucp (Ray Daignault)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: PICK dbms/os on UNIX
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.200618.71930@uvmark.uucp>
Date: 12 Jun 91 20:06:18 GMT
References: <10595@idunno.Princeton.EDU> <1991Jun10.223018.26414@ringer.cs.utsa.edu>
Organization: Vmark Software, Inc.
Lines: 50

In article <1991Jun10.223018.26414@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> geckhard@ringer.cs.utsa.edu (Gary Eckhardt) writes:
>In article <10595@idunno.Princeton.EDU> gpmenos@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (G. Philippe Menos) writes:
>>I'm seeing a demo of the Advance Library System, which
>>uses PICK running on UNIX, using Univers, I think.  Does anyone have any
>>opinions on the wisdom or "non-wisdom" of running PICK on Unix inthis
>>manner...  or any comments on PICK for that matter.
>>
>
>I worked with PICK running on a Honeywell platform for 3 years.  In my opinion,
>PICK was a good idea at the time it was developed, leading the way for
>other database systems like itself, but it has grown sorta obsolete.
This was, I believe, an ULTIMATE machine.
>
>The biggest problem with PICK that I saw was it's file structure.  For some
>reason, the process of reloading dictionaries and data from tape (i.e.
>a full restore with modulo and separation expansion) took a silly amount of
>time.  
Correct, under older versions of PICK and ULTIMATE, to expand a file system
required a save/restore procedure.  And, because the processor was fairly
slow, this was a very long process.

Currently, under the offerings by Vmark, Prime, and Unidata, the products have
auto-resizing files.  You should never have to reload data from tape unless
you have a system problem.

>
>Working with a 9-Track tape drive on the Honeywell system, it took more than
>72 hours to complete a file restore.  Working with a 9-Track tape and the
>PC version of PICK, it took closer to 5 days.  I have had no experience with
>it running on a Unix platform.
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Gary B. Eckhardt     Univ. Of Texas at San Antonio     geckhard@ringer.utsa.edu

Un
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>"Firing...  Sensors report all strategic Iraqi positions are destroyed, sir"
>"Captain, I sense a great sense of -- relief -- and joy on the planet..."
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>  Warp Seven.."
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>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-- 
Raymond Daignault
...uunet!merk!uvmark!ray