Nigel Weeks wrote:

> I've been reading the history of Firebird, and I just want to make sure I
> understand it's origins:
>
> Firebird and Oracle:
> Started their lives in the same company(Digital Equipment Corp)?
>
> In the same department?
>
> Under the same roof?
>
> Were functionally interchangeable?
>
> Competed on featureset for quite a while?

Thats probably taking things a little far. Jim Starkey - the original
architect of JRD ( Jim's Relational Database ) developed it as an
alternative to the DEC relational database. This followed on from his
first database system 'Datatrieve'. As Jim was in charge of the
'Datatrieve' product DEC created a second group to produce their own Rdb
product. JRD progressed somewhat faster than Rdb, and Jim decided he
would rather "Make his own mistakes", so in 1984 Groton Database
Services was formed and 'gds' appeared.

Interbase maintained compatibility with the Rdb product for obvious
reasons, but it was the Rdb product which went to Oracle. I'm not sure
that we have established how much of Jim's original designs were carried
forward in that path, but the multi-generational architecture is all
Jim's and if the information from Ann is correct - like all good ideas
it was developed in the shower :)

Having attended Jim's talks at the conference, I can see how the
original design had become corrupted over the years, and now Jim is
working to restore the modular design that JRD had originally.

--
Lester Caine
-----------------------------
L.S.Caine Electronic Services