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December 13, 2005
Is MySQL Simple or Complex (or both)?
At last night's Boston MySQL meetup someone raised a point that I've been thinking about off and on for the last day.
The attendee suggested that for years MySQL was the database that didn't have all the frills. It was simple to use, easy to maintain, and performed better than a more complex database. MySQL AB has been working on changing that perception for some time. Misconceptions about lack of transactions and referential integrity have been a battle since back in the 3.23.x days. Now with the release of 5, the message seems to be even stronger. It's no longer the database that it used to be, it's grown up, all of the features that it's been criticized for not having are now there in some form, and a lot more greatness is in the pipe.
So the question is . . . What happens to the people who really just wanted a simple, no frills, easy to use database. Based on the message, MySQL is no longer the database for them. Right?
Philip's answer was something to the extent of walking both sides of the street. Maybe that's true. Maybe MySQL can have all of this wonderful functionality that makes them viable in the enterprise arena, and at the same time stick to the 15-minute install rule and keep the clutter to a minimum for folks who love MyISAM, simple SQL from the application, and never want to go farther into metadata than show tables. That's why I started to use MySQL in the first place so many years ago, you didn't have to know much about a database to get it up and running and into use, and the word on the street was that for ease of use and maintenance, MySQL was the way to go.
I'm no marketing expert, but based on how much it takes to change a perception I'd guess that the work to move people to understand "we're mature and full-featured" means there's no room for the "we're really simple and easy to use/manage."
So what does happen to the person who wants a simple database and sees MySQL as more of an enterprise database? How does MySQL hang onto those folks? Or is it intentional to move up the ladder a bit and leave them behind?
Posted by mike at December 13, 2005 3:56 PM
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Comments
I'd suggest that the argument is a strawman.
MySQL is still also a simple database; that's the beautiful part!
For simple things it's "install and go" and even even when using the "enterprise features" it's comparatively incredibly simple to configure right for the task.
- ask
Posted by: Ask Bj�rn Hansen at December 14, 2005 5:19 AM
We talked about this over beer afterwards. MySQL is easy to use/manage because it's *intuitive*. You want to find out what tables are in a database? SHOW TABLES. How do you do it in oracle? um,
SELECT * FROM cat
SQL Server?
SELECT * FROM sysobjects WHERE xtype='U'
DB2?
SELECT * FROM syscat.tables WHERE tabschema = 'NAME'
Postgres?
SELECT tablename FROM pg_tables WHERE tableowner = current_user
Sybase?
SELECT * FROM sysobjects WHERE type='U'.
In all cases except for MySQL, you have to know something about the databases. (By the way, SQLZoo.net is a great website for comparing ways to do things in different databases.)
With MySQL you just are up and running.
Now, granted, with 5.0, we now have the INFORMATION SCHEMA. Which is a GREAT boon to experienced DBA's. HOWEVER, they're not getting rid of SHOW TABLES or SHOW DATABASES.
Enterprise databases other than MySQL are complex because of the learning curve. MySQL still has a short learning curve. And the documentation is MUCH better, too, as someone who's worked with Oracle, Sybase, Postgres, DB2 and MS-SQL.
MySQL is getting more full-featured. MySQL is still easy-to-use. They are not mutually exclusive.
Posted by: Sheeri at December 14, 2005 9:19 AM