Pliant, a new programming language/framework, apparently has a built-in hierarchical database, and the database is highly integrated with the built-in web server.

I just HAVE to check this out.

Slashdot suggests Pliant is an OS, and it does appear to run on top of the Linux kernel without the need for a full Linux distro (I think they're as confused as I am), but it also runs on Windows, BSD and OS/2.

So it seems that the "OS" is called "FullPliant", which is Linux Kernel + Pliant, and none of the standard Linux Distro stuff to muddy the waters. Pliant, the language/environment/framework, runs on POSIX environments (OS/2 is POSIX compliant with EMX), Linux and Win32.

I've been reading about Pliant since I first saw mention of it. It sounds really cool, I look forward to getting it running here so I can try it. The creator of Pliant started a thread on Advogato about his software.

On his website, he says he was worked on this software for 15 years!

I've been reading the comments on Slashdot. Typical stuff, mostly, but a few good nuggets. Some people say "why waste 15 years on this when you could have worked on XYZ" and others say "It's a good thing Linus didn't follow that advice!"

I hadn't read this (16 year old!) quote before, but boy is it relevant, true, powerful and scarey all in one.

"The greatest danger to good computer science
  research today may be excessive relevance . . .
  [C]ommercial pressure . . . will divert the
  attention of the best thinkers from real
  innovation to exploitation of the current fad,
  from prospecting to mining a known lode"
  -- Dennis Ritchie
  Communications of the ACM, August, 1984