RE: [OT] Great SQL Database for Java

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Morris
>
> Another great little database is DB2 UDB for iSeries. Very easy to
> install,
> it comes with the hardware!

As you know, David, I think DB2/400 is the best database available for
business applications.  But there are cases where JDBC is the correct
answer, and I'm trying to find a database that I can recommend for
beginners/students.

One of the things I really like about the HSQLDB product is that it has two
distinct modes: client/server and in-process (or standalone).  The
in-process mode is a dedicated mode.  Only one application can access the
database at a time, but there's no need to run a server, either.  This is
easiest environment I've ever seen for testing.

There's even a diskless version in which the data isn't stored on disk.
This has some great possibilities in handheld devices - you can write your
code as if you were using a database, then have an initialization routine
that simply loads a "pseudo-database" in memory with data from a ROM or
downloaded over a wireless connection.

The client/server connection is nice, it's a proprietary TCP/IP protocol,
and then there's the HTTP-based version.

I'm going to continue to look at this puppy for non-iSeries development.


> One that I use a lot is MySQL, which only
> costs you if you integrate it into a product. Postgresql is the
> ultimate Free DB but not quite as quick as MySQL but difficult to
> install.

This is the issue.  My audience is, as always, the guy trying to learn.  I
want something simple to install AND USE, and HSQLDB excels at both of those
things.  The standalone mode, which doesn't even require you to fire up a
server, is the ultimate in ease of use.


Joe