[Users] Is the term "checkpoint" in Ingres not misused ?

[Roy Hann]

At 21:16 18/05/2006, Claudio Grillo wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Checkpoint in Database science means writting pages from data memory 
>cache to the database data disk area, what is done periodically (see 
>checkpoint command Sybase , MSSQL, Oracle).
>In Ingres culture, we use checkpoint meaning DUMP, or backcup. This 
>misuse of a scientific term , i think, should be
>corrected. This cause a bad impression for the new users that have a 
>good background in the database implementation area.

That's an interesting point; Ingres does hijack that well-defined and 
widely used term for a different meaning than it usually has.  There 
are a lot of other terms that have a well-defined meaning that are 
misused in the wider DBMS field that I'd like to see corrected as 
well.  So maybe we should start by putting our own house in order and 
think of a better name for the thing we currently call a "checkpoint".

On the other hand, I think the Ingres name for what other products 
call a checkpoint (i.e. "consistency point") is more informative.

Roy Hann