Re: [Axiom-developer] database fixes

[C Y]

--- Waldek Hebisch <address@hidden> wrote:

> I am not sure if compression is obsolete: we have performance problem
> with Spad compiler and databases may be part of this problem. If
> we need fast reading of databases compressed version is likely to
> be faster (of course there are other possibilites which may give more
> speedup).  Also, uncompressed databases take 2Mb more disk space
> then compressed one.

I may regret opening this can of worms but since it has come up, two
questions.

1.  The main purpose of the "database" is, as I understand it, to
enable the loading of mathematical knowledge on an "as needed" basis
into Axiom rather than carry everything at once in the image?  If i've
got that right I'm impressed by the power of that design, but I wonder
how much like a "true" database query-return system Axiom's mechanisms
are.  1st question:  Would Axiom's internal "database" system be better
replaced with a "full scale" database backend, or do we do better using
a scaled down "just what we need" approach?

2.  (If #1 is "scaled down", we can skip #2.) Full scale databases in
Lisp are a bit rare, but there is this work: 
http://www.cliki.net/CommonLispPrevalence  I don't know enough to be
able to say if this "Object Prevalence" makes any sense in terms of
what Axiom needs to achieve, but perhaps it would be useful?  Does
anybody know something about the academic issues in question?

It's possible that Axiom's solution to the problem at hand is in fact
robust and optimal when applied correctly, but I thought it might be
worth mentioning the Lisp work on other database ideas to see if it is
something that could be useful.  At any rate, if Axiom does use a
"database query-return" system (or whatever the correct term is) it
would seem like a useful additon to that part of the code would be a
general overview of the design concepts and issues of databases.  Guess
I'll need to add a few papers on database theory to the reading list
;-).

Cheers,
CY

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