[oclug] Open Source Databases

[Brian's Linux Box]

On Monday, April 5, 2004, at 12:15  PM, Kevin Li wrote:
>
> 2. Why is MySQL so popular given it's lack of key enterprise database 
> features
> and hence why isn't PostgreSQL as popular given it's enterprise 
> strengths?
I think there is a lot of chicken-and-egg here.  There are prebuilt 
tested binarys for every distro
I've seen etc.  When I started looking at various web related projects 
they often were built
using mySQL so I had to install it.  Then when it came time for me to 
build my own web stuff
using a database backend - mySQL was already there, working and I had 
some
familiarity with it, so...  After all the popular acronym is LAMP not 
LAPP.
I've never heard anyone say Postgres isn't a good solution.

> 4. Can the Open Source databases of today (MySQL, PostgreSQL, 
> Firebird, etc)
> ever give challenge to Oracle for the enterprise market?
As far as mySQL goes, that would be against it's founding principle.
It wasn't designed to be an 'enterprise' database ala Oracle/DB2 etc,
it was designed to be a fast and lightweight alternative.
While I'm sure the mySQL people want it used as much as possible,
those are two different markets and it's not [likely] possible to both 
well.

Brian