Re: Windows NT Platform Q's
Mike Lemon wrote: > > Has anyone gathered good info comparing Workgroup Server for NT and > Informix Online Dynamic Server for NT? > > While our database needs are not massive, we are funtionality > dependent as opposed to size-dependent. At the moment, I'm leaning > toward Workgroup Server, but the Informix home page doesn't provide a > whole lot of comparative info. > > Any pros/cons of Online vs MicroShaft SQL Server would be helpful as > well. > > Thanks in advance. > > Mike Lemon > mdl@interpath.com Mike and friends, I am currently evaluating the SQLServer 6.5 from Microsoft, and will be doing just such a comparison with Workgroup Server in the near future. On first pass, the Microsoft product is well-presented, and has a consistent look and feel to the interface. The "Microsoft SQL SERVER 6.5 DBA Survival Guide" is almost a must-buy to go with the eval. It too is well-presented, and comes with a CD-ROM of a couple of utilities. The initial impression I get from this product is that it is designed as a truly scalable data base, positioned for small company data bases. This is just like what INFORMIX used to be, the best damn data base for UNIX and small businesses. Microsoft is coming in the back door to fill a need. Make no mistake, SQLServer is scalable, and according to the literature could be a serious contender for the small business out there wanting to migrate from Access et al into a bigger capacity data base. Microsoft is making it quite easy to evaluate it, try it, then buy it. This is a key to their success. :-) The one feature that is most appealing to me so far is the Web SQL, which works quite nicely. This is the thing that allows you to access a data base from a web page. The set up for Web SQL took me about 5 minutes, only because I took my time. The actual time to run the set up is about half a minute. Demo pages were available to try it out, and of course they worked as hoped. I have not determined if SQLServer is using CGI to accomplish the data base access, so will have to RTFM. :-) But definitely no INET. If I could get ISDN in my area, then I would be setting up a web site with it. But this will have to wait for a bit more development, evaluation, and the phone company. SQLServer should not be trivialized just because it's a Microsoft product, and you love Informix. I really like Informix products more than any other, but knowing what's out there is important. ( If you have any doubt see my homepage ) Oracle's product looks pitiful compared to the Microsoft product--in fact SQLServer should put an appropriate "scratch Oracle" on your shopping list. ( The comparison is really between Informix and Microsoft for me. ) If Workgroup Server allows the web access like SQLServer then it'll be a no brainer for me which to choose, but SQLServer 6.5 has given me a good first impression. I may end up using both or recommending both, depending on the need, and functionality of the product. With the emphasis on web-ability, and Universal Server on the horizon, SQLServer may be a serious alternative to a predictable high price for Universal Server. As an adjunct to SQLServer, you should also check out Catapult, the new proxy server from Microsoft. For those of you suffering with strictly dial-up access to the net, you can set up Catapult with RAS on your WindowsNT box to use one modem to get out to the net, even though your intranet may have 4 or 5 other Windows95 machines, as we do. And no DNS needed. I don't know how it behaves with a real ethernet connection to the net, but it does round out the SO/HO connection nicely. Now if I can just get the phone company to get with the program... :-) PS Even more MS stuff: J++ is available for download... -- \\\\|// (6 6) ==============================---o00--(_)--00o---=========================== Tim Schaefer http://www.shadow.net/~tschaefe The Computer Business Company, Inc. tschaefe@shadow.net http://www.lp.org Liberty! http://www.cato.org ============================================================================