Founder of MySQL: there is no reason to continue using MySQL

MariaDB not only becomes the default database of the main open source operating system, but also replaces MySQL in WikiMedia and other important organizations and enterprises. Recently, SkySQL and MariaDB's head office Monty Program AB were merged to expand the developer team. The following is an interview with Monty recently, discussing the changes in the database field.

Q: MySQL is the default database for major projects and enterprises around the world. Why is MySQL so successful? What are its characteristics? Is it its open source code features, technical advantages, or Sun's marketing capabilities?

Monty: MySQL became popular before Sun bought it, which is one of the reasons why Sun bought it.

The reason why MySQL is so popular is:

1. Free Software/open source code

2. We were very friendly to users from the very beginning and would like to provide assistance

3. I wrote 30 thousand emails to assist users in the first five years.

4. Double authorization

5. Let's make money to hire more people to join the project.

6. attracting investors

7. Test MySQL binary files on a large number of platforms from the very beginning

8. When we started MySQL, most free software still had only the original code and did not test all platforms.

9. We set it from the very beginning so that everyone can obtain and execute MySQL within 15 minutes.

10. We are lucky to launch the right product at the right time.

11. At the beginning, there were no competitors in the market for free SQL databases.

Q: both open source code forces come from Finland, namely Torvalds and Widenius. Does the Finnish education system encourage such actions?

Monty: in these two cases, the education system has no significant impact on products.

I think most of them are from the nature of Finland. We are stubborn and hate to give up, even if others say that we do nothing, and we cannot compete with large companies.

As far as Linus Torvalds and I are concerned, we all have a kind of talent that can make developers who have talked with us feel excited about what we have done. Both of us are not in English. Maybe this helps us to communicate with developers around the world, because from the very beginning, we have no restriction on the ability of anyone who joins the project to speak fluent English.

Q: You have doubts about selling MySQL to Oracle ). MySQL penetration rate is declining recently. What do you think is the cause of the decline? What did Oracle do wrong?

Monty: Yes, MySQL has recently declined, but most of the user groups it has lost are running to other products in the MySQL ecosystem, such as MariaDB.

Oracle has the following errors:

1. MySQL's new enterprise extension kit adopts closed source code

2. Database bugs are no longer exposed

3. Do not actively update MySQL public code library

4. Failed to quickly communicate or fix security issues, which made Linux distribution suite very dissatisfied with Oracle

5. Oracle selects the removal function, instead of correcting bugs.

6. There are no test cases for the new program code of MySQL 5.5

7. Some of the new program code from Oracle is unexpectedly good, but unfortunately the quality is uneven. A considerable part of it needs to be rewritten before we include MariaDB.

In addition, perhaps the worst thing is that the Community cannot work with Oracle's MySQL developers. Because:

1. Oracle does not accept patch

2. No Open Development Blueprint

3. There is no way to discuss the implementation details with the MySQL developer and the operation of the current program code.

Q: At the same time, MariaDB is becoming more and more important. For general users, what is the difference between MariaDB and MySQL?

To put it simply:

1. MariaDB has over 30 more years of development workload than MySQL.

2. More functions

3. Faster

4. More stable

5. Fewer security problems

The simplest answer is, there is no reason not to choose MariaDB 5.5 to replace MySQL 5.5. This answer is still applicable in the next version.

Q: How does MariaDB change the database field? MySQL is still dominant on the Web. Is there any plan to encourage network hosting service providers to switch to MariaDB?

Monty: many web hosting service providers already support MariaDB. You only need to ask, many suppliers will provide MariaDB.

We are actively lobbying web hosting service providers to ask them to publicly support MariaDB. However, this is indeed a time-consuming task.

Q: MariaDB can be used to directly replace MySQL. Regardless of the Technical similarity between the two parties, what are the main differences between the two projects in terms of development and authorization?

Monty: MariaDB is developed by a community with an open development blueprint. Anyone can easily participate in it. MySQL is developed into a closed source code project. Only Oracle and a few Oracle-selected companies can participate. MariaDB adopts GPL like MySQL, but MariaDB provides the LGPL driver for C and Java. We are also developing the lgpl odbc driver. If you use these drivers, you do not need to buy MySQL/MariaDB authorization in most cases.

Q: How difficult is the migration from MySQL to MariaDB?

Monty: It's just a small task. Just remove MySQL and install MariaDB. All your tools and connection programs can work as usual. You do not need to export or import data. The format is the same as the file name.

Q: I have seen several examples of using MariaDB in WikiMedia Foundation or other organizations, openSUSE and Fedora GNU/Linux distribution kits. But what about commercial deployment through Monty Program AB? I mean, what is your company's current revenue?

Monty: Monty Program AB has obtained MariaDB development funds from some companies. In addition, Monty Program AB also obtained funds from providing level 3 support to companies such as SkySQL.

Q: How does SkySQL merge with Monty Program AB affect the entire developer base of MariaDB?

Monty: when the best MySQL/MariaDB developers, supporters, trainers, and sales staff gather in the same company, we are now able to provide the best services to all MySQL and MariaDB users.

Q: How do you ensure that MariaDB will not share the same fate as MySQL and be bought by other companies?

Monty: That's why we created the MariaDB Foundation. The MariaDB foundation is the driving force behind the development of the community and the owner of the MariaDB server trademark. This ensures that there is no need to open a new MySQL branch. MariaDB will always be a free and Community project.