[Sussex] Microsoft to collapse..

[Steve Dobson]

Chris

On Sun, Feb 13, 2005 at 11:01:15AM -0000, Chris Jones wrote:
> On Sun, February 13, 2005 1:34, Geoffrey Teale said:
> >              Even if you ignore the obvious point that every filesystem
> > _is_ a database, IBM has had a database as a filesystem since the 1970's
> 
> I've had the "is a fs a db" argument a few times and yeah, you're right
> that they're very similar.

Having had to use an IBM zSeries on a course once there really is no such 
as a file system as I've known it under DOS, VMS, *nix, Windows.  When I
asked on of the zSeries experts about it I got a really blank look.  Every
thing really is stored as an object in a database.  For those that don't
know the zSeries is designed as a batch processing system.  Users don't
interact with the OS themselves, but with a powerful terminal that then
submits their request to the mainframe to be processed in a job queue.
With a batch system everything being a database record make sense.

I'm sure the M$ have already started filing patents in the US on their
DBfs technology.  I can't imagine IBM haven't already got a number of
older (and better written) patents filed.

Now that IBM have sold their PC business do then need a reciprocal 
patent agreement with M$?  (This is like the agreement Sun have with
Microsoft - you can use our IP if we can use yours.)  If not, are they
going to kill the DBfs when (??? if ???) M$ ships it?

Steve