Open Source Free Version
PostgreSQL is an open source project. Open source by definition means that you can obtain the source code, use the program, and modify it freely without the confines of proprietary software. In the database world, open source means that you have honest access to benchmarking numbers and performance statistics, which companies such as Oracle prohibit. Open source also means that you are free to modify PostgreSQL to fit your particular needs.
However, there is a misconception that since open source software is free from distribution restrictions, it is always free of cost to your company. This is not necessarily the case. It is true that you can, without external cost, download and install open source software, but there will always be costs associated with the time and energy your company puts into support and research of the application. As such, if you do not have those resources to spend, there are several commercial vendors and consultants who deal specifically with PostgreSQL.
Commercial PostgreSQL Products
The Red Hat version of PostgreSQL is called Red Hat Database and is a very new product to the database market. Red Hat Database is based on the community-released open source version, PostgreSQL 7.1. Red Hat Database currently supports Linux only, preferably Red Hat Linux 7.1.
Open Source Versus Commercial Products
The open source version of PostgreSQL only includes the database-management system and the associated programming interfaces. The Red Hat version ...
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