[CLUE-Talk] Postgres RULES!!!!!! Linux is more good than cheap!!!!

[Grant Johnson]

update test_copy
set stat=(select t2.val from test2 t2 where t2.prikey=test_copy.ctr::int)
where stat='N';


This little querry may not look like much, but on an Oracle on Solaris 
machine, it takes over 5 minutes to update 20,000 out of 35,000 rows. 
 The machine it is running is a dual CPU Ultra Sparc with a gig of RAM 
(not sure of CPU speed).  However, updating 250,000 of 500,000 on 
Postgres on Linux on a Celeron 300a with 256M of memory, it takes a 
minute and 5 seconds.  Both were run on nearly unloaded machines.  The 
Linux machine was additionally acting as a mail and file server at the time.

What can we do to convince the average PHB that this is a good idea? 
 Sun and IBM jumping in will help.