[oclug] Open Source Databases

[Milan Budimirovic]

Rod Giffin wrote:

>MySQL is a lightening speed, lightweight, free UTILITY database, cross
>platform, good driver support (almost everybody supports MySQL in some
>fashion or other).
>
>If you don't have complicated data structures to support, and don't
>require enterprise support, MySQL is a good database.  Even if you do have
>complicated data structures, developers who have a good grasp of SQL and
>various models of distributed computing, can implement models that work
>very well even in enterprise settings.
>
>  
>
A few other points.

MySQL has historically been  a good "read only" database. A lot of the 
enterprise features it has lacked, such as rollback/commit or row-level 
locking, have had to do with how it handles multiple users reading from 
and writing to the same table at the same time.

A commercial database such as Oracle has much better programming hooks 
for languages such as Java. I believe that Oracle even has a JVM 
embedded inside it, but don't quote me on that.

Also, as Dan pointed out, MySQL has lacked certain SQL features such as 
subselects, so the programmer/DBA ends up having to do a lot of outer 
joins when he/she wants to combine results  from two tables. I 
understand that a lot of that has been fixed in version 4.0.

All that said, MySQL is free, it's fast, it's compact, it's portable and 
it's a HUGE improvement over existing "personal databases" such as 
Access, Approach, Paradox, etc.

>>3. Other than the fact that SQL Server is from Microsoft, is there
>>really disadvantages to the database (aside from the fact that you are
>>then stuck with Windows 0S with IIS and all of it's security flaws)?
>>From what I've heard about the it seems to be a very good product except
>>that it's expensive and it's from Microsoft. Does anybody have anything
>>good to say about MS SQL Server as opposed to Open Source databases?
>>    
>>
>
>It's like the color of model T Fords, you can run it on any platform you
>want as long as it's Microsoft.  If you're running a windows only shop,
>it's fine.  However, for those places who don't run MS Windows OS's on
>servers,  MS SQL server is not for them - about 50% of the marketplace.
>
>  
>

The fact that SQL server runs only on Windows is a major impediment to 
things like security, scalability and flexibility. You're bound by the 
limits of the Wintel platform.