[DB-SIG] which free database to use (and a few other questions)

[Jeremy Hylton]

I'm looking for some advice on which database (and which database
module) to use.  I need a free database for several data
collection/analysis projects, including TCP packet trace and HTTP
server log analysis.  A typical data set will be 50-100 MB.

It looks like I can choose between miniSQL and MySQL, but I don't how
good either product is.  Can anyone recommend one over the other?
I've spent an hour or two looking at miniSQL and it seems to provide
adequate functionality (but I don't feel like I have a particularly
informed decision).

I'm also curious about the state of the Python modules for each of
these databases.  The miniSQL module doesn't conform to the DB API.
Is this a problem?  It looks like it would be easy enough to use the
mSQL C library to implement an extension module.  (But the fact that
it looks pretty easy makes we wonder why no one else has?  Perhaps
there are some problems with mSQL...)

I started looking at the MySQL module and stopped right away; the
copyright notice is downright scary: "Note that any product, process
or technology described in this software may be the subject of other
Intellectual Property rights reserved by FGA bitart and are not
licensed hereunder."  Doesn't sound like free software to me.
On the other hand, maybe MySQL also has a good C library that would
make it easy to do a new extension module.  Any thoughts?

Finally, a question about the API itself. The spec. document on
python.org says:

>This specification document was last updated on: April 9, 1996. It
>will be known as Version 1.0 of this specification.  
>
>Note: The ODBC module implements a newer version of this
>specification. Some additional error types were added to DBI. A spec
>update is due.

Should I be worried about this?  The note about an update being due
(apparently 9 months ago) makes me think the pages aren't being
maintained.  Has an update been produced?  How substantial a change is 
it? 

Thanks,
Jeremy

-- Jeremy Hylton
   jeremy@cnri.reston.va.us
   <URL:http://the-tech.mit.edu/~jeremy/>


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