Re: A thought about other open source projects

On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 08:35:02AM -0400, Lew wrote:
> David Goodenough wrote:
> >I don't support anyone has written a "how to write database
> >agnostic code" guide? That way its not a matter of porting, more a
> >matter of starting off right.
>
> There is no real way to write "database[-]agnostic" SQL, although of
> course middleware code can and should be.

"Database-agnostic middleware" is not a practical or desirable goal
for the same reason that "database-agnostic SQL" isn't. The original
reasoning behind the radical experiment of "database-agnostic" was an
attempt to defend against the depredations of vendors of proprietary
RDBMSs, who tended to use strong-arm tactics any time they felt they
could get away with it.

As a strategy, "database-agnostic" has failed because the only two
(combinable) ways to implement it are enormously expensive even to
create, and super-linearly expensive to maintain. I've covered these
below:

http://people.planetpostgresql.org/dfetter/index.php?/archives/32-Portability-Part-I.html
http://people.planetpostgresql.org/dfetter/index.php?/archives/33-Portability-Part-II.html

Fortunately, another strategy whose effect is to defend against the
above-mentioned strong-arm tactics--making a wide selection of
non-proprietary RDBMSs--has succeeded. Just pick an RDBMS and max out
its capabilities.

Cheers,
David.
--
David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org> http://fetter.org/
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