On Fri, Mar 19, 2004 at 11:34:30AM -0500, Robert11 wrote: > I downloaded postgre, but I am a bit stumped on > what to do next. > The problem is I'm totally unfamiliar with ftp downloads. > > There are a bunch of folders. > > What do I open, or do next, please, to get started ?
What operating system are you using? Windows? If so, and you are this new at it, I suspect you'll find PostgreSQL to be a little tricky to use. In any case, the instructions for installation are in the PostgreSQL manual at http://www.postgresql.org. If you can't follow the instructions, or get stumped, you should come back with a question about the point where you're stuck. > Also: what are the major differences between all 3 packages ? Access is not a real SQL database, but it has some SQL interface glued onto it. MySQL was historically very lightweight and missing quite a few features. It is much improved, but continues to have interfaces which, while initially apparently convenient, are sufficiently different from the standard way of doing things that you may experience a lot of pain later. PostgreSQL is a larger system intented for "industrial strength" systems. Having used all three of these, it is the only one among them that I feel actually comfortable trusting data to. This is a prejudice I developed on older versions of MySQL, however, and it is probably not well justified any more. PostgreSQL has the steepest learning curve: you will need to learn a fair amount about what you are doing before you can do anything useful. On the other hand, that initial investment pays handsomely later. > Which would be easiest to learn for a true database beginner ? Probably Access. It's also the least likely to teach you the best database habits, so I'd urge you to consider the additional work for Postgres, just because you'll get a good grounding in fundamentals that way. Postgres is the most rigid of the systems, in that it usually has a smaller number of well-defined ways to do something. -- Andrew Sullivan | [EMAIL PROTECTED] This work was visionary and imaginative, and goes to show that visionary and imaginative work need not end up well. --Dennis Ritchie ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 5: Have you checked our extensive FAQ? http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faqs/FAQ.html
