[Sussex] MYSQL vs Postgresql

[Geoffrey Teale]

On two points:

1. PostgreSQL v. MySQL

.. simply put, PostgreSQL does more, is faster, and doesn't have a dodgy
license.  Most ISP's using MySQL are using older versions.

2. On Marks comments.

Frankly it's far easier to get companies to buy applications based on
Linux and F/OSS than Linux and F/OSS themselves.  We succesfully sell to
some massive corporations (Big pharma.. ..included the biggest) because
our software is _better_ than the competition.  Linux is an integral
part of the _quality_ of our software, open source allows us to do
things we simply couldn't do (or in some cases we couldn't _afford_ to
do) in a closed source environment.  I've hear case where we do however
have to justify Linux to some customers, they consider it based on what
their suppliers (who are often windows only shops) have told them, and
as such they are ill-informed and less likely to believe us than their
existing suppliers (we are after all we're trying to sell them
something).

I think business often needs a big incentive to move, and for companies
the size of our clients money isn't _that_ much of a motivator - skilled
staff cost a lot more than software across the organisation.  IT that
helps maximise those peoples output is what matters, not the upfront
cost.  What organisations are slowly learning however is that open
source has serious benefits for staff productivity.  For big companies
the idea that they can share development work with their competitors is
an anathema, but it's where the real value lies.  Often what they need
to make that leap is a third-party vendor to start the ball rolling and
form a community.

-- 
Geoff