Focus: Databases

What is there to say about databases? They are one of the most important tools in enterprise, and yet at first glance they seem boring. However, authors and users both love them, as can plainly be seen by the number of articles (ten) that were submitted for this issue. We present five here, three in Strictly On-line and put off two for next month. We'll look at MySQL, NoSQL, PostgreSQL, Progress (next month), Oracle and the ODBC (open database connectivity) project, as well as using Java and the Web with databases. There are also reviews of DB2 and a book on mSQL and MySQL. If you don't learn something about databases this month, you must be an expert on them already.

Last month, we printed an article, “Multilink PPP: One Big Virtual WAN Pipe” purportedly by Paul Ammann. We have since learned the article was actually written by George E. Conant, formerly of Xyplex, and can be found on the Web at www.data.com/tutorials/multilink_ppp.html. We have not been able to reach Mr. Conant to offer our apologies personally, but do so here in this forum. We put a large amount of trust in the authors with whom we contract; Mr. Ammann has betrayed this trust both to us and to our readers. When I asked him about it by e-mail, he sent this reply:

From: pammann@tekrab.net (Paul Amman)
Subject: RE: [ljeditor@linuxjournal.com.com: Boo! Hiss! (fwd)]
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 20:49:05 -0400
Well... to be honest, yes, I did copy the article.
I guess there's no hiding it and it's
time to own up to it now. There is no good
explanation that would be acceptable for my
behavior. Please advise me on what retribution I
must make. I will accept full responsibility for
my actions.
Paul

We are extremely distressed that this happened—the only time in over five years of publishing.

—Marjorie Richardson