PostgreSQL is an Object-Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS) that has been
developed in various forms since 1977. It began as a project named Ingres at the University of California at
Berkeley. Ingres itself was later developed commercially by Relational
Technologies/Ingres Corporation.
In 1986 another team led by Michael Stonebraker from Berkeley continued the development of
the Ingres code to create an object-relational database system called Postgres. In 1996, due to a
new open source effort and the enhanced functionality of the software, Postgres was renamed to
PostgreSQL, after a brief stint as Postgres95. The PostgreSQL project is still under very active
development worldwide from a team of open source developers and contributors.
PostgreSQL is widely considered to be the most advanced open source database system in the
world. It provides many features (which are discussed in more detail in the Section called PostgreSQL Feature Set") that
are traditionally seen only in enterprise-caliber commercial products.
PostgreSQL is an open source project. Open source by definition means that you can obtain
the source code, use the program, and modify it freely without the confines of proprietary
software. In the database world, open source means that you have honest access to benchmarking
numbers and performance statistics, which companies such as Oracle prohibit. Open source also
means that you are free to modify PostgreSQL to fit your particular needs.
However, there is a misconception that since open source software is free from distribution
restrictions, it is always free of cost to your company. This is not necessarily the case.
It is true that you can, without external cost, download and install open source software, but
there will always be costs associated with the time and energy your company puts into support
and research of the application. As such, if you do not have those resources to spend, there
are several commercial vendors and consultants who deal specifically with PostgreSQL.
The Red Hat version of PostgreSQL is called Red Hat Database
and is a very new product to the database market. Red Hat Database
is based on the community-released open source version, PostgreSQL 7.1.
Red Hat Database currently supports Linux only, preferably Red Hat Linux 7.1.
The open source version of PostgreSQL only includes the database-management system and
the associated programming interfaces. The Red Hat version of PostgreSQL
includes a graphical installer and limited support for the installation.
The main factor in deciding whether to use the open source
version of PostgreSQL or a commercially packaged version
should be your business requirements. If you have a knowledgeable on-site
technical-support staff, the community version may do well for you.
However, if you need installation, configuration, and management support,
you may be better served by purchasing a commercial version of
PostgreSQL.
If you prefer to do business with smaller consulting companies, we have compiled a
modest list of professional companies providing support for PostgreSQL in the Section called Commercial Support."
Marketing would suggest that a commercial version of
PostgreSQL is somehow objectively superior to an open source
version of PostgreSQL. In reality, this is not the case. When
deciding what version of PostgreSQL you are going to run, you need
only be aware of your own needs. For example, are you going to need
installation support? Is a graphical installation important to you? If
they are, then you should probably purchase a commercial version of
PostgreSQL. However, if you or one of your staff are comfortable with
compiling and configuring source code, the open source version could
be more applicable to you.
There are two additional questions you may want to ask. Do you need printed
documentation and are you willing to pay for PostgreSQL? The commercial distribution
comes with printed documentation. However, if you are reading this book, we hope you
won't need the additional documentation. The other question relates to cost. Red Hat Database is priced at
$2,295.00.
The most important thing to remember when deciding on which version of PostgreSQL to
use is this (from a perspective of general usage and feature availability): there
is no practical difference between the open source and the commercial versions.
Outside of Red Hat, there are many companies that provide consulting
services to the PostgreSQL community. The following is a small list of consultants
providing commercial support for PostgreSQL.
Command Prompt, Inc. (https://www.commandprompt.com/)
Command Prompt, Inc. is a Linux managed-services and PostgreSQL-support company. They provide Linux and
PostgreSQL support, including custom programming in C & C++, Java, PHP, Perl, and their own LXP application server
for PostgreSQL.
Cybertec provides training courses, support, consulting, and
cost-effective high-end systems. Cybertec services the German-speaking region (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland).
dbExperts (https://www.dbexperts.com.br/)
dbExperts offers training courses, specialized support for development, and
commercial products for PostgreSQL. dbExperts is located in Brazil and
provides services in the Portuguese language.
PostgreSQL, Inc. (https://www.pgsql.com/)
PostgreSQL, Inc. offers support for PostgreSQL, database
hosting, and promotional materials.
Software Research Associates (https://osb.sra.co.jp/)
Software Research Associates offers a range of services to
aid customers with open source software-based systems. Support from
this company is also available in Japanese.
The PostgreSQL community provides active support to users of PostgreSQL via a number of
mailing lists. There are several user mailing lists to which you can subscribe, segregated by
topic (e.g., pgsql-general, pgsql-hackers, etc.).
The mailing lists for PostgreSQL users are quite thorough, covering everything from general
discussion to support on developing with PostgreSQL programming interfaces.
For a complete list of mailing lists with associated descriptions, please visit the PostgreSQL
website at https://www.postgresql.org.
