I am a DBA for Oracle databases, and XE can be used for free. It has the reference SQL/PSM implementation in PL/SQL. I know how to set up a physical standby, and otherwise I know how to run it.

That being said, Oracle Database SE2 is $17,500 per core pair on x86, and Enterprise is $47,500 per core pair. XE has hard limits on size and limits on active CPUs. XE also does not get patches; if there is a critical vulnerability, it might be years before an upgrade is released.

Nobody would deploy Oracle Database for new systems. You only use this for sunk costs.

Postgres itself has a manual that is 1,500 pages. There is a LOT to learn to run it well, comparable to Oracle.

For simple things, SQLite is fine. I use it as my secrecy manager.

Postgres requires a lot of reading to do the fancy things.

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niobe 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Postgres has a large manual not because it's overly complex to do simple things, but because it is one of the best documented and most well-written tools around, period. Every time I've had occasion to browse the manual in the last 20 years it's impressed me.

	▲	chasil an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I read Jason Couchman's book for Oracle 8i certification, and passed the five exams. They left much out, so many important things that I learned later, as I saw harmful things happening. The very biggest thing is "nologging," the ability to commit certain transactions that are omitted from the recovery archived logs. "You are destroying my standby database! Kyte is explicit that 'nologging' must never be used without the cooperation of the DBA! Why are you destroying the standby?" It was SSIS, and they could never get it under control. ALTER SYSTEM FORCE LOGGING undid their ignorant presumption.