Look beyond the "No OS" hype to see what OS functions are really needed. Larry is talking about what I'll call, for lack of a better term "database machines". It is not unlike the plug and play disk storage devices that are being sold. Plug it into your network, point a browser at it to configure it and you're ready to go. For a "database machine", why do I need the overhead of an operating system that manages print queues, file sharing, user accounts, sound cards, microphones, and so on. I just need it to run my database. A stripped down OS kernel that provides basic services such as memory management, process switching, network communications and disk I/O will probably give me everything I need.
Let the mid-sized database server become a commodity item. If it runs Oracle8i reliably, who cares if NT, Unix, whatever is underneath the covers. Size it, plug it in, and go...
-Michael |
