Is MySQL database facing a knockout punch?
There is no doubt about it: MySQL still remains the cornerstone of L.A.M.P (Linux, Apache, “MySQL”, and PHP) and one of the Internet’s most popular databases.
This versatile little database is the bedrock of WordPress and a host of other popular applications that form part of the open-source revolution.
And, yet, there are signs that the winds of change are slowly chipping away at its user base in the same way Facebook and Linkedin are siphoning people away from Google searches.
Perhaps the first visible sign of the above, and not necessarily negative, was the announcement that Oracle was going to purchase the nifty little database engine from Sun MicroSystems for over $7 billion. Of course, there had been previous tremors under the leadership of Sun as they battled with a controversial 5.1 release and the resignation of co-founders Monty Widenius and David Axmark.
However, Oracle under Larry Ellison has lofty goals, which did create some blow-back from developers worried about how the “Proprietary” might of Oracle would impact the free, open and powerful features of MySQL.
Putting the above aside, there are more compelling reasons to question whether MySQL will remain synonymous with the web and open-source in general.
For instance, in August 2011, Apple announced it was dropping MySQL in favor of PostgreSQL in new versions of its Lion OS X Server line.
PostgreSQL, an ACID compliant database developed by the University of California in 1985, seems to becoming sexier and sexier to developers deploying new web 3.0 applications. Even MIT University decided to use this database when building and testing their new Relational cloud, collectively known as a Database-as-a-Service.
According to the blog Olex Wazi, the following companies use either MySQL or PostgreSQL, giving you some idea of popularity brownie points:
MySQL:
- Slashdot
- Wikipedia
PostgreSQL:
- Yahoo runs a multi-petabyte modified PostgreSQL database that processes billions of events per day
- Disqus
When choosing between the two it often comes down to a struggle between reliability (PostgreSQL) and flexibility (MySQL) although both are not that far apart — depending on whom you ask!
In recent months, Joomla has added multi-database support for MS SQL Server, a proprietary database from Microsoft, thereby terminating it’s monogamous relationship with MySQL.
This trend looks set to continue as both open source and proprietary applications build bridges towards each other, which impacts the traditional dominance of MySQL in the web-o-sphere.
MySQL is also the recommend database engine for Drupal, a high-performance database offered on cheap, affordable hosting plans from Anhosting.
“There are several drop-in replacements for MySQL. Drupal has been extensively tested with MariaDB, and version 5.1.44 (or greater) is recommended. It is also likely that other drop-in replacements will work well with Drupal, but they have not specifically undergone testing,” said Drupal.
Expect to see Drupal follow Joomla’s lead in extending, testing and advertising plurality in available database engines over the next few years.
Drupal 7, for instance, supports PostgreSQL 8.3 or higher. An additional module supports Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
All of the above may help explain why the 2011 MySQL conference numbers were down, at least according to anecdotal reports from sites such as RedMonk.
“The issue of fragmentation remains. Henrik created MepSQL for a reason, and that reason is that there is a high volume of decentralized development occurring around the codebase,” said RedMonk.
“This is a positive for functional development, obviously, but it poses challenges from a customer adoption standpoint. Centralization would be useful, but under what mechanism? A commercial vendor?”
Thus, MySQL may well be on the verge of losing its status as the world’s most popular database.
But, even as it does so, it appears to be making new friends, especially Windows.
For instance, in September 2011, Oracle announced improved support for Microsoft Windows with the release of a new MySQL installer for Windows, intended to drastically cut down installation time.
“Oracle delivers up to 90 percent cost savings over Microsoft SQL Server with MySQL Enterprise Edition, (2) which includes a complete suite of visual tools for modeling, development, monitoring, administration and backup of Windows-based MySQL applications” said Oracle.
So maybe MySQL will no longer be the most popular kid on the block, but it will always have a seat at the VIP table of open-source databases.
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