3 ms·
Databases tend to fall closer to the programming language side of the spectrum, in my experience. If Github shut down, it would be a hassle but not a fatal one.
by necubi 13y ago
Databases tend to fall closer to the programming language side of the spectrum, in my experience. If Github shut down, it would be a hassle but not a fatal one. Same goes for most of AWS (DynamoDB and S3 have compatible open-source alternatives if need be).
But if your esoteric programming language or DB (I place datomic in that category because it's very different than anything else out there) becomes unavailable or the price is raised too high you have no choice but to fundamentally rewrite your software. That could be the end of your business.
This is absolutely not to say they should open source it--that's entirely their decision. This is just to explain why many (myself included) feel uncomfortable relying on closed source DBs.
- calibraxis 13y agoYes, that's a deep conflict in the tech world, even beyond this topic. For example, does a manager select PHP because PHP programmers are commodities? Some managers tell me that's how they select technologies: how commoditized its labor supply is. (They consciously accept the price of technological conservatism, to avoid real risks.) I personally think it's important to weigh the various risks. Keeping in mind there are "opportunity costs". So for example, if I were to choose something like Datomic, it's almost certainly because I predict much greater productivity than alternatives. There are risks to giving that up, which I must consider. And there are ways to mitigate some risk. Like simply asking what happens if they go out of business. Much like investigating potential failure modes.