bnichols@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Brad Nicholson) writes: > Scott Marlowe wrote: >>> As with phrases like, "the quickest way to grill a unicorn steak," >>> that it can be stated in a few words does not make in possible. >> >> Exactly. The big issue here is that nobody's saying what kind of app >> they want to write. >> > Or what sort of performance requirements are tied to that app. And that's only one form of "quality of service," too. - Sometimes you need fast... - Mighty frequently, "fast enough" is good enough. - Sometimes you need excruciating correctness (to the point of needing 2PC!). - Sometimes you need to not need to respond to all errors. (e.g. - in an embedded application, there may never be a way for an "administrator" to get at instances of the system - consider an appliance like a router) - Very frequently, making sure the system "isn't too fragile" is an important aspect of QoS. [1] - I've really liked the recent comments about the philosophy behind NoSQL, where it is suggested to be "postmodern" in the sense that: - SQL traditionally has been about storing facts of some solidity, and, in contrast... - The postmodernist approach to philosophy, and, to a great extent, NoSQL systems involves an acceptance of: - The absence of objective truth - Queries return opinions, not facts In effect, this involves a more-or-less philosophical shift that is, all the same, an expression of "quality of service." - The vigorously expressed unfriendliness of the MythTV folk is somewhat curious, and I'm not quite sure how to classify it. I don't think it's any of the above. [1] <http://www.databasejournal.com/features/db2/article.php/3888026> [2] <http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2010/06/12/postmodern-databases/> -- select 'cbbrowne' || '@' || 'cbbrowne.com'; http://cbbrowne.com/info/internet.html "MS apparently now has a team dedicated to tracking problems with Linux and publicizing them. I guess eventually they'll figure out this back fires... ;)" -- William Burrow <aa126@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> -- Sent via pgsql-general mailing list (pgsql-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx) To make changes to your subscription: http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-general