From: shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk (Alan S H Lam)
Subject: Public domain DBMS
Keywords: public domain
Organization: Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese U. of Hong Kong
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 03:52:53 GMT


About two week ago, I had posted a question for asking any public domain database on unix platform. And I received serveral useful mails. Here I would like to express my gratitude to the persons who had send me e-mails. Thanks. Some netters request me to post the reponse to this news group. Hence, I summarize the response as below.

My boss seems to pick up the POSTGRES. Does anyone have any comment on that? I will very appreciate it if you could send me any comment on  POSTGRES. Thanks.

Alan.


Response
==========


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Date: 4 Nov 1992 13:46:54-GMT
To: shlam <shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk>
Subject: PD DB
From: ags <ags@gec-mrc.co.uk>

Alan,

I have recently ftp'd Postgres and I've read the documentation.

Postgres is a large database system produced at UCLA Berkley,
available free.

It is not "small, simple" as you asked, it may be easy to use (I
haven't installed it yet). It required about 8 Meg of RAM and 45
Meg of disc space. It's available for SUN, SEQUENT and DEC
workstations.

It's multi-user, client-server (I think). It is described as
"relational or object-oriented - pick your favorite buzz-word".
It isn't SQL - the authors of Postgres are very critical about SQL
and IMHO they're quite right.

It looks pretty good on the whole. I'm not intending to install it,
as it's too big for my fairly trivial application.

I am looking for something simpler - ideally available free in source
form (I want to run it on a Sparc and also possibly port it to a PC
running Linux). Could you let me know if you find anything which
fits this description?

Thanks, Gavin.


-- The above may not represent the views of GEC Marconi, but is probably
   Copyright (C) 1992 GEC Marconi Ltd.
Gavin Spittlehouse, Software Engineering Group, GEC Marconi Research Centre,
Chelmsford, Essex UK CM2 8HN. 0245 73331 x3245   ags@uk.co.gec-mrc



Return-Path: robertp@csis.dit.csiro.au
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From: robertp@csis.dit.csiro.au
Message-Id: <9211050001.AA18241@carina>
To: shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk
Subject: anonymous ftp'able database

Dear Alan,

I just read your News request for a public domain database.
You might like to take a look at REQUIEM - it's available 
by anonymous ftp from dcssoft.anu.edu.au in the pub/requiem
directory.

There are two versions available, a multi-user one and one that 
allows embedded queries in a standard C program.  My advise would
be to get the latter one.

If you are running on a Unix machine, you should have no problem,
but let me know if you do.  The README files are pretty helpful.
The query language is RQL (Relational Query Language) based on the
Relational Algebra and similar to SQL.  There is a file GRAMMAR 
that describes it fairly well.  

Hope it's what you're after.


Robert Power

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
robert.power@csis.dit.csiro.au			
CSIRO Division of Information Technology
PO Box 664 					tel: +61 6 275 0960
Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA.			fax: +61 6 257 1052
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 13:20:46 EST
From: robertp@csis.dit.csiro.au
Message-Id: <9211050220.AA19187@carina>
To: shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk
Subject: Re: anonymous ftp'able database

I developed The embedded version of REQUIEM as my honours 
thesis last year.  My supervisor was the co-author of the 
system, Mike Papazoglou.  I don't actually use it for 
personal or work purposes but I do offer a casual support
for anyone who uses it - if they find any bugs in it, I 
try and fix them (when I get time).

I think REQUIEM is a good relational database.  Having worked 
with SQL, the RQL language provides an alternative approach
to an interactive relational query language, one that I
believe is worth knowing.  

The embedded query language that I developed was influenced 
more by INGRES than ORACLE, and I think it is a better 
coupling of C and a database language than either of those 
two systems provide.  It is this which motivates me to keep 
an eye out for potential users of REQUIEM and to tell them 
about it.

As for performance, I can't really say.  REQUIEM was developed
as a research and educational tool, but is being used by a 
number of people world wide.  One of its benefits is that the 
source code is written in C and is freely available.

Let me know of any other Dbases you find out about.  I would
be interested in any evaluation/comparisons you do.


Robert Power

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
robert.power@csis.dit.csiro.au			
CSIRO Division of Information Technology
PO Box 664 					tel: +61 6 275 0960
Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA.			fax: +61 6 257 1052
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 20:20:55 +1100
From: SiewSiong Tan <u883399@sol.surv.utas.edu.au>
Message-Id: <9211050920.AA20636@sol.surv.utas.edu.au>
To: shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk
Subject: Re: Any public domain database on the net?
Newsgroups: comp.databases

In comp.databases you write:


>I want to know if there is any public domain 
>database (which is small, simple, and easy to
>use) on the net that I can download to
>use. I heard of postgress. Does anyone use
>it? What is your comment on that?

Hi Alan;

I am using POSTGRES (obejct Oriented DBMS) and GEO++. 
GEO is a GIS front end to postgres DBMS. My comment
is they as as good as any other commercial DBMS.



>If you know any public domain database,
>please send me a e-mail. I will very
>appreciate it. Thanks.

You're welcome. The other P D DBMS that I know of is the
ENCORE OO DB, I haven't try it so I can't comment.
it is available at 
	wilma.cs.brown.edu in pub as encore.tar.Z

hope this help.

cheers
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  SiewSiong TAN                               GPO Box 252C       |
|  University of Tasmania                      Hobart, Tasmania   | 
|  Dept of Surveying & Spatial Info Science    Australia 7001     |
|  email: u883399@sol.surv.utas.edu.au         fax: (002) 240282  |
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From: bjtong@cs.unsw.oz.au (Banchong Harangsri)
To: shlam@eng.ie.cuhk.hk
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 22:07:01 +1100
Message-Id:  <921105110701.26756@cs.unsw.oz.au>
Subject: Re: Any public domain database on the net?