Oracle spreads blame for MySQL 'misperceptions' Oracle has clarified the pricing and packaging for MySQL while pointing the finger at everybody else for getting the wrong idea in the first place. The giant has updated its MySQL product page to explain that MySQL's InnoDB storage engine will be included in all three paid editions of the open-source database. Banished from …
I think some major Open Source distributions are already defaulting to PostgreSQL. Take Debian for example, if you chose SQL database during the installation you'll get PostgreSQL.
The only downside is that not all applications have the ability to use PostgreSQL (e.g. Wordpress only supports MySQL)
Even though those are just web applications, allot of things nowadays are done on the web so personally I find them rather important. The more web applications start to move to "any" alternative database the better, it will just take time which is ok since MySQL won't die any time soon ^_~
1- Each time Oracle changes its pricing, you will end up paying more than the last year. This in spite of all their explanations that the changes in prices are made to keep their offerings "competitive". This is not true. Oracle are always fiercely competitive on the sale, because they know that (1) once you commit to a brand of SQL you are likely not going to switch to another and (2) the price of the licence is nothing compared with the "maintenance" fees.
2- Ever tried Oracle support? Unless you're a big customer, and big here is then of thousands of users, you are much better off with Google and access to their knowledge base. Plus, their support organization is not going to help you with problems with the Community edition, I suppose it is the first thing they will check when you call them. Oracle does not want to live in the same environment as Red Hat, where most customers purchase a few REL licences and deploy lots more Fedora instances. Red Hat is comfortable living with that, but the Ellison lead Oracle maximizing profit machine is not. They want every single cent.
Now I can listen to a phone drone in Mumbai read off a flowchart any time I want!
From experience, support boils down to:
Q: I don't know how to structure an RDBMS - tell me how to do it
A: Not my job, but I can recommend an Oracle Solution Provider to do it.
Q: Help, my server is on fire!
A: Not my problem, but I can recommend an Oracle Solution Provider to replace it.
Q: I've discovered a bug in your RDBMS. Here are the details to replicate it...
A: [click][dial tone]
I realise you're being facetious, but we'll run with it. Support is exactly that, a support facility, not a hand-holding baby-training facility, and certainly ain't 999. As for finding a bug, if you find one and have steps to replicate, then that'll gladly (and instantly) be made into a bug.
Flame, because if you're calling Oracle when you're on fire, that's just natural selection.
This is a great article to send to people who say our Enterprise should move to Linux and MySQL because they're free.... they always seem to forget the cost of support & maintenance for Enterprise capable versions of OS and DB and also tracking down people with Enterprise level skills for architecting, implementing & supporting these products...
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tracking down people with Enterprise level skills for architecting, implementing & supporting these products
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Actually - THAT - is the tricky bit. Technically you can put together a lovely little package with FreeBSD or your particular *nix of choice and mung in a MySQL server and the software need cost you nothing...
You don't even need a support contract if you can in-house the staff to maintain the system (which works out cheaper if you're building apps in-house) - trying to _find_ someone with the right skill level on that software however...
> This is a great article to send to people who say our Enterprise
> should move to Linux and MySQL because they're free
Ignore such people. They are wrong.
The reason for moving to Linux and MySQL is because they are Free. That is worth far, far more than being simply free.
Because these packages are Free, you can *choose* who you get to do your support - there is a competitive market for these services. Oracle is not the only company who can support their product (nor, likely, the best one).
Vic.
[Who supplies MySQL support for a hell of a lot less than Oracle charges]
i did "yum install mysql" and there was no fee at all. so far i've resolved two problems by using google to find forum posts about the issues i was having, and they provided exact instructions for workarounds or fixes in a fraction of the time that phone or email support would take. i've already got sqlite, and postgres is just one command line away, both for free of course.
if someone's trying to sell /bin/grep "classic", that doesn't mean you have to pay for it.
Great database
http://www.cubrid.org/
It is Korean database, more than 15 years of development behind it, but just open sourced 3 years ago, and translated to English pretty recently. It is optimized for web, but good for oger stuff like BI and ERP. Testing for couple of weeks now, so far so good. Leaves MySQL and Postgres in dust in terms of performance and scalability. We didn't put it in production yet, but seems imminent.
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