IBM Considering DB2 on Mac OS X

zzen writes "Aparently, IBM is looking for input on the posibility of their DB2 database being ported to Mac OS X. MacObserver writes: 'IBM has posted a survey asking Mac OS X users if they are interested in having DB2 ported to Mac OS X. DB2 is an enterprise level database solution from IBM, and a Mac OS X port from IBM would be a major boost for Mac OS X in the corporate market place.'"

Comments

Too late?

[babbage]

The survey seems to have been pulled:

Your request cannot be completed. The following error message was returned:

The survey you requested: "4551/DB2forMacOS.htm" has been deactivated.

For questions regarding the survey you were attempting to complete, please contact the owner of the survey directly.

If you feel that you are receiving this message as a result of a system error, please send us an email.

Anyway, I've never worked with DB2 before so yes I'm talking out of my ass here, but I picture it as a high quality enterprise server database meant to be run on big IBM mainframes, big Sun servers, medium size Dell or HP Linux machines, etc. I also have the impression that Apple's one offering this direction -- Xserve -- is a nice but overpriced & underuseful machine that isn't going to be replacing the competition any time soon. For better or worse, I picture OSX as a client OS, not a server one, though perhaps that will change over time. [NB that I'm typing this from an OSX box.]

So, all that said, does anyone run DB2 on client workstation hardware? I can maybe picture developers working with an intra-office instance of the server, but really I thought it wanted something more substantial than the average PC or Mac in order to run happily. Am I wrong? Would any of you have a use for client / lightweight DB2?

Re:Too late?

[foobar104]

Both you and ZeroLogic are kind of missing the point. Having a copy of DB2 running on your desktop-- or, hell, your laptop-- would be a great thing if you were a DB2 or database application developer. Since OS X is rapidly becoming a platform of choice for Java development, putting the big DBMS's on OS X as well would practically get us to the point where a PowerBook or iBook can be a portable, self-contained J2EE development system.

Besides, Oracle and Sybase are already available for OS X. Landing DB2 would complete the trifecta.

I really doubt IBM is thinking about positioning DB2 running on OS X as an enterprise solution.

Re:Too late?

[Daniel Dvorkin]

I think it depends on how you define "magnitude." The system requirements for running Oracle (depending on how you define "Oracle" ;) aren't much different from those for running PostgreSQL + assorted administration apps, f'rinstance -- and for that matter, FileMaker Server is a godawful resource hog that actually takes up more CPU and RAM than many "enterprise-level" DBMS's, in terms of what it takes to get the app itself up and running. So the real question is not the size of the app, but the size of the data. Run Oracle or DB2 on your iBook? Sure. Run a multi-terabyte database system from your iBook, probably not ... My gut feeling is that a properly configured XServe cluster can probably handle it, but the fact is it's too new a setup to be sure.

All that being said, while I doubt Hertz or Kaiser is going to be replacing their data warehouse infrastructure with XServes any time soon, I can see an Oracle- or DB2-on-XServe solution being very good for a lot of medium-sized businesses. The hardware can handle the apps, and plenty of data, just fine.

IBM getting MS back

[Zelet]

When I worked at IBM there was a sincere hatred for everthing Microsoft (in my dept, in my building, in my town - I can't talk for all of IBM). What I think IBM is doing is kicking the sand in Microsofts face. They are pushing every platform but MS.

IBM fully supports Linux and now they are startin on OSX, I think they really want to get rid of MS. Maybe it is just me:P

Re:Bring it on!

[Anonymous Coward]

silly (but honest) question time... :)

What does "enterprise level" mean? I'm not too clued up on the terminology, and hear the term thrown about from time to time - is that the highest of the highest-end gear/apps?

Apple and IBM hardware ties?

[ilovehippies]

maybe IBM is interested in os X because they know soon Apple will be using 64 bit IBM produced chips? I dont think they would bother ported it over now, and apple hardware CURRENTLY isn't the best solution for their software, but maybe they know something we dont about what chips apple is going to use in the next round of powermacs or xserves

Re:The real question is this.

[jimmu]

Also, keep in mind that SAPDB is available under the GPL, and runs under linux. Its only a matter of time until someone puts in the work to make it run on OS X.