how about Interbase/Firebird comparing with MySQL and Postgresql ?

searain

What are the advantages and specially disadvantages by using Interbase/Firebird instead of MySQL and Postgresql?

I am interested in the advice from experienced php web programmers about these databases. Specially why use Interbase/Firebird or why not use Interbase/Firebird?

Thanks!

searain

I have read some articles about the database MySQL and Postgresql. Some articles suggest that the Interbase is a dead end?

Firebird is its open source update versions, will it be a dead end?

Not so many reasons were given in the articles about why not interbase/firebird.

Could anyone with all these database experience share their experience about why or why not Interbase/Firebird?

Sxooter

IBPhoenix is a nice little database, but it feels rough around the edges. If you look at the volume of messages on the PostgreSQL, IBphoenix, and MySQL mailing lists, you'll find that Postgresql by far has the most active development list.

More developers is a good thing.

I think IBPhoenix has a few features Postgresql lacks (no need to vacuum in IB, nor analyze I believe, which are a bit of a bother to the Postgresql beginner). Mayve clustering is there too for IBPhoenix?

Stored procs are supposedly a pain to develop in IBPhoenix, whereas in Postgresql you have a choice of a dozen or so languages, many of which are "trusted" I.e. sandboxed to prevent joe user from scrambling the database files while other languages are available that let you get out of the sandbox and do whatever you want (send email, delete files, etc...) as the postgresql master user.

If you are looking at Postgresql,
make sure it's either the latest stable (7.3.4) or the latest beta to get a fair idea of how it runs now, not a year ago.

Sxooter

Oh, I should add that IBPhoenix is also in beta, so it's a good idea to try the new version to see how it performs.

searain

Sxooter, or anyone else.

Is Interbase/Firebird biggest disadvantage is not so many people use it?

In my opinion, that Interbase/Firebird is a very good one. But due to it came to the Open Source Code community too late and then it also went through two update directions, Interbase (not open source anymore) by Borland and also firebird (still open source). That may fail to draw more developers to it.

My question is

1) is Interbase/Firebird still a good database (comparing with mysql, Postgresql) but lack of developers to use it?

2) Interbase/Firebird is not a good database so not so many developers use it?

Thanks!

Sxooter

Firebird has a fair number of developers, and it's a good database. I was looking at the firebird development list archives here:

http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_id=6330

And they are averaging 300 to 1000 messages a month in the last year or so, so there's plenty of activity going on.

I think Firebird's biggest issue is that most people had already chosen Postgresql or MySQL when it came along, so it's playing catch up in the user space.

Firebird definitely has a smaller memory / hard drive footprint than Postgresql. If you were running on limited hardware (palm pilot, small server) it might well make Firebird a much better choice than Postgresql.