[Techtalk] object databases...

[Mandi]

On Fri, 19 Apr 2002, Walt wrote:

> Does anyone know of a good (open source)
> object database?
>

There's a list here
http://sal.kachinatech.com/H/2/
of some object-oriented databases.  Some of them are GPL and others
aren't.  Technically, PostGRES is an object-relational database.

There's some general database info here:
http://linas.org/linux/db.html

amazingly enough, there is a really good article on /. from a while back
that covers all kinds of OODBMS stuff, and the comments are very good as
well.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/05/03/1434242&mode=thread

Oracle's object support, from what i saw of it in 8, was interesting,
though I'm not sure of the specifics of implementing an application in it.

OODBMS is kind of relegated to specialty applications, and some of the
OODBMSs are built in such a was as to facilitate a specific kind of
application.

> Also, I'd like to learn more about how database
> systems operate. Like getting from memory
> and SQL queries to files on the hard drive,
> and how they organize the stored information
> for speedy retrieval, etc.
>

This varies from system to system.  Microsoft's SQL Server (put the whole
database in one file) varies greatly from Oracle (spread things out
however you want, on different disks, etc, etc, etc) and other systems
built by companies that focus on DBMS.

One of the more popular database books (undergrad and grad) is Elmasri
and Navathe's "Fundamentals of Database Systems".  I've now had two
classes using this book.  Navathe is active in research in the field;
i'm not sure about elmasri.  It is seriously hardcore stuff. (and kind of
expensive, since it's mostly a college text)

There is a lot of theory and decades of research involved in the evolution
of modern DBMSs.  (most of which was ignored by M$ when they designed SQL
Server... ;) )

Hope that gets you started!

--mandi