brownrigg@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (01/04/91)
Can anyone tell me what "postgres" is all about? I know where and how to get it, but to get it on my target machine will take a fair bit of effort. Is it worth the effort? Does it have an interactive interface for users and DBAs, or is it strictly a "support library" around which code must be written? How are its relational capabilities? Any commentary would be appreciated. Rick Brownrigg Kansas Geological Survey
kemnitz@gaia.berkeley.edu (Greg Kemnitz) (01/06/91)
What Is Postgres?
In this brief discussion, I will try to clarify what Postgres is and what
it is not. First, a quick summary:
Postgres is a database research project under Prof. Michael Stonebraker
at U. C. Berkeley. To facilitate research efforts, a software test-bed was
created which is the "Postgres" software. The major purpose of this
software is to provide a platform and a basis for the testing of
implementations of new ideas in database research. Several graduate
students, as well as undergraduate programmers have been working on
the implementation of the Postgres software. After this paragraph, all
references to "Postgres" refer to the software itself.
What Postgres Is:
o It is relational. One of the major goals of Postgres is to show that
an essentially relational DBMS can be extended to handle complex objects,
rules, and be highly extensible. Postgres is both relational and is an
OODB.
o Postgres is highly extensible, allowing user-defined operators, user-defined
types, and user-defined functions.
o Numerous other features which are beyond the scope of this discussion.
For more info, order "The Design of Postgres" (see below).
What Postgres is Not:
o It is not an extension of University Ingres. No effort has been made
to be compatible with University Ingres, and very little code is common.
Questions about University Ingres should be posted to comp.databases.
o It is not an attempt to create an industrial-strength public domain
competitor to commercial DBMS offerings. We are not GNU. The Postgres
group will support users as time permits, but user support is a secondary
goal.
o It is not a distributed database and there is no plan by our group at
this time to make it distributed.
o It does not use SQL.
Getting Postgres:
You can get Postgres in one of two ways:
(1) Send a check payable to the Regents of the University
of California for $150.00 to:
Postgres Project
521 Evans Hall
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720.
Indicate in your accompanying letter whether you want
the system on a 9-track tape at 1600 BPI, at 6250 BPI,
on a cartridge tape for SUN shoeboxes (QIC 24 format),
or on a TK50 DEC cartridge tape.
(2) FTP the code to your site over the net by typing
the following bracketed text without brackets. You
should see similar output.
% [ ftp 128.32.149.1 ] # or ftp postgres.berkeley.edu
Connected to 128.32.149.1.
220 postgres FTP server (Version 4.4 Sun Feb 5 07:58:07 PST 1989) ready.
Name (128.32.149.1:): [ anonymous ]
331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.
Password:[ mylogin@myhost ]
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
ftp> [ cd pub ]
250 CWD command successful.
ftp> [ get postgres-setup.me ]
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for postgres-setup.me (NNNNNNN bytes).
ftp> [ binary ]
200 Type set to I.
ftp> [ get postgres-v2r0.tar.Z ]
200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for postgres-v2r02.new.tar.Z (NNNNNNN bytes).
226 Transfer complete.
local: postgres-v2r02.tar.Z remote: postgres-v2r02.tar.Z
NNNNNNN bytes received in MMM.MM seconds (KK Kbytes/s)
ftp> [ quit ]
221 Goodbye.
%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Kemnitz | "I ran out of the room - I
Postgres Chief Programmer | didn't want to be killed by a pile
kemnitz@postgres.berkeley.edu | of ULTRIX manuals" :-)
|
| --A friend at DEC Palo Alto in the Quaketomr@ashtate (Tom Rombouts) (01/08/91)
In article <40236@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> kemnitz@gaia.berkeley.edu (Greg Kemnitz) writes: > > What Is Postgres? [ description of Postgres deleted ] I hope this won't cause too many people to fall on the floor laughing, but (pardon my ignorance) has Postgress (or U. Ingres for that matter) been ported to MS-DOS? In my defense, I know that much GNU-ware, despite its massive size, has been sucessfully taken to Mess-DOG. :-) Tom Rombouts Torrance 'Tater tomr@ashtate.A-T.com V:(213)538-7108
mao@eden.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Olson) (01/08/91)
In <1991Jan7.201121.2740@ashtate>, tomr@ashtate (Tom Rombouts) writes
> [has] Postgress (or U. Ingres for that matter) been ported to MS-DOS?
postgres has not been ported to ms-dos, and we do not anticipate a port
at this time (to put it mildly). this is a research vehicle for us, so
we need a compelling reason to undertake a new port.
i've never heard of an ms-dos version of university ingres, but that is
not conclusive proof of very much.
mike olson
postgres research group
uc berkeley
mao@postgres.berkeley.educsd29@seq1.keele.ac.uk (A. Herath) (01/14/91)
From article <1991Jan7.201121.2740@ashtate>, by tomr@ashtate (Tom Rombouts): > > In my defense, I know that much GNU-ware, despite its massive size, > has been sucessfully taken to Mess-DOG. :-) > > > Tom Rombouts Torrance 'Tater tomr@ashtate.A-T.com V:(213)538-7108 ^ It is nice to hear about Free Software from Guys working on A-T. Keep it up!