I had a similar experience speaking to the MySQL folks
at (the last) COMDEX. After trying to get them to
explain how their licenses work, I was even more
confused (and two reps even gave conflicting info).
CSN
> Hi everyone,
>
> I've just got back from LinuxWorld in London and
seeing this thread thought
> I would share my experience of the MySQL stand - if
you are of a delicate
> dispostion, please look away now. I basically asked
them straight up why I
> should use MySQL instead of PostgreSQL and was quite
surprised by the
> result, mainly since it was not done on features but
more on FUD. The basic
> message was this:
>
> - MySQL is the most popular open source database,
with over 6m
> "enterprise"
> installs, with a large company supporting it.
PostgreSQL is run by a
> very
> small community of developers.
>
> - MySQL can be clustered (This was later retracted
when I mentioned
> I
> needed something that would work on large tables,
as apparently
> their
> clustering only works in RAM and so will fail on
large queries and
> queries
> that use a lot of joins).
>
> - All the companies that have tried to operate by
selling PostgreSQL
> support
> services have gone bankrupt, except for
EnterpriseDB.
>
> - PostgreSQL doesn't have row level locking.
>
> And this last comment really took the biscuit - I
really hope that the none
> of the core team read this and decide to throw in
the towel:
>
> "MySQL has the biggest collection of database
experts... Open source
> people
> don't know how to write databases"
>
> So all in all, to say I was upset by some of these
comments was an
> understatement. To all the people I spoke to on the
PostgreSQL stand, I hope
> I did it in a way that made them feel empowered to
go and try the PostgreSQL
> for their own applications by mentioning its
benefits, and not by spreading
> FUD about its competition.
>
>
> Mark.
>
> ------------------------
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> South West Technology Centre
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> Plymouth
> PL6 8BT
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