DBMS Implementation for SQL?

[Chuck Bearden]

On Wed, 3 Jun 1998, Margaret Schaus wrote:

> Dear List Members,
> 
> Does anyone know of low-cost (i.e. less than $300) or shareware DBMS for
> SQL?  We are interested in building a database in SQL but can't afford the
> costs of Microsoft SQL Server and comparable packages.  Suggestions and
> advice are most welcome.
> 
> 
> Margaret Schaus (mschaus at haverford.edu)
> Magill Library
> Haverford College
> Haverford, PA  19041
> Tel. 610-896-1166
> Medieval Feminist Index, Editor
> http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/mfi/mfi.html

PostgreSQL is a free SQL DBMS.  I have never used it but I know of it
because it is distributed as part of Red Hat Linux.  Website at 

  http://www.postgresql.org/

Here is the information included in the Red Hat PostgreSQL RPM:

"PostgreSQL is an enhancement of the POSTGRES database management 
system, a next-generation DBMS research prototype.  While PostgreSQL 
retains the powerful data model and rich data types of POSTGRES, it 
replaces the PostQuel query language with an extended subset of SQL. 
PostgreSQL is free and the complete source is available.

PostgreSQL development is being performed by a team of Internet 
developers who all subscribe to the PostgreSQL development mailing 
list. The current coordinator is Marc G. Fournier 
(scrappy at postgreSQL.org). This team is now responsible for all 
current and future development of PostgreSQL.

The authors of PostgreSQL 1.01 were Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen. Many 
others have contributed to the porting, testing, debugging and 
enhancement of the code.  The original Postgres code, from which 
PostgreSQL is derived, was the effort of many graduate students, 
undergraduate students, and staff programmers working under the 
direction of Professor Michael Stonebraker at the University of 
California, Berkeley.

The original name of the software at Berkeley was Postgres. When 
SQL functionality was added in 1995, its name was changed to 
Postgres95.  The name was changed at the end of 1996 to PostgreSQL.

PostgreSQL runs on Solaris, SunOS, HPUX, AIX, Linux, Irix, FreeBSD, 
and most flavours of Unix."


Chuck Bearden
Network Services Librarian
Houston Public Library
Houston, TX  77002
713/247-2264 (voice)
713/247-1182 (fax)
cbearden at hpl.lib.tx.us