SANTA CLARA, Calif.—The first beta of Version 8.3 of the open-source PostgreSQL database has been released, with dozens of new and improved features, Josh Berkus, a member of the PostgreSQL core team and strategic lead in Suns database technology group, said. Oct.15.
The first beta for PostgreSQL 8.3 has more code than any previous version, greatly improved performance consistency, synchronized scans, the ability to be built with Visual C++, up to 20 percent more efficient storage and fully integrated advanced text search with an improved API.
The final release is expected in about eight weeks, he said at Suns Open Source Summit press event here.
The new features are in addition to the existing feature set, which includes complex query execution and partitioning, high-availability features and tools, database object extensibility, and a business-friendly license, including no license fees.
Read about how Sun has gilded its Solaris lily here.
The open-source database market recently has been growing at least 50 percent a year, and Sun is looking to take advantage of this with PostgreSQL, which is the second most well-known open-source database, Berkus said.
PostgreSQL 8.0 was “good enough” for 70 percent of business users and had replaced Oracle and Informix at several companies. It supports numerous ISV applications and is capable of powering most mission-critical business software.
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