Choosing Your Customer's Database Market

Ran accross an article about how [http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-rfid-product-placement-/2006/05/20/1657290.htm OATSystems, Inc., and ADT have set up a program to proove the return value on setting up RFID systems within commercial retail space]. What I thought was most interesting was the choice of platforms the program would support: “OAT Foundation Suite 5.0 supports the IBM (News - Alert) RFID Premises Server, SUN Solaris and Oracle (News - Alert), Red Hat Linux and PostgreSQL, Microsoft (News - Alert) Windows and SQL Server software platforms.” Large, Enterprise Targeted Database…. check. Middle Tier / Small Business / Open Source Database… check. Windows World Database… check. I wonder how much of that supported platforms decision was future install systems verses needing to be compatible with customers pre-installed systems. ISTM they could certainly replace the SQL Server component with PostgreSQL if they can require a new database installation, but there are probably many IT shops that not only run Windows but require all-Microsoft for server software solutions, so you would be forced to run SQL Server.