dennis@boulder.colorado.edu (08/22/89)
I would like to challenge the idea that seamless integration of a programming language with the database (aka persistent programming languages) is a good idea. I am involved in a project here at Colorado which is already using the following programming languages trying to access the same database: 1. Ada 2. C 3. C++ 4. Prolog We may eventually end up adding several other languages. In this situation, there is no obvious one language in which to embed the database type system. Instead, we appear to need a database model that is relatively independent of any one programming language, and that can be accessed successfully, if not cleanly, from many different languages. For our purpose, we have some small evidence that relational models work better (in a best-fit sense) than OO models. It is true that an OO model would fit C++ well, but it doesn't fit well with Ada, and certainly not Prolog. Whereas, there are well defined procedural interfaces defined for relational models. -Dennis Heimbigner University of Colorado, Boulder (dennis@boulder.colorado.edu)
moiram@tekcae.CAX.TEK.COM (Moira Mallison) (08/25/89)
In article <10931@boulder.Colorado.EDU> dennis@boulder.colorado.edu () writes: >I would like to challenge the idea that seamless integration >of a programming language with the database (aka persistent programming >languages) is a good idea. Dennis provides a counter-example to defend the above statement. But because it is not a good fit for your project doesn't mean it is not a good idea. >For our purpose, we have some small evidence that relational >models work better (in a best-fit sense) than OO models. At least Dennis qualifies his statement here. It is not the object-oriented defenders who are claiming to have a universal answer here. OODBMS's do not claim to be all things to all people. There are clearly applications for which the relational model works well. There are also clearly applications which are awkward and cumbersome when constrained to a RDBMS implementation. Moira Mallison CAX Data Management