Josh Berkus wrote:
>> If you go to a major corporation and say... Dude use my community-owned
>> database, you will be shown the door. Which is exactly one of the more
>> precise reasons that MySQL was kicking our butt in low end installations
>> for so long. Because it was an open source "Product" not "Project"
>
> MySQL became more widely adopted than PostgreSQL for 3 reasons:
> 1) it was "ready to use" in 1997 and we were not,
> 2) it adapted to and catered to web developers rather than demanding
> that they learn things or change habits,
> 3) it focused on strategic features in a timely fashion, at least up
> until 2004.
I'm not sure I agree with either one of you.
From places I saw MySQL get wins, the reasons were:
1. [in a dozen tiny accounts] - MySQL worked on Windows earlier,
so Windows and mixed development shops liked it better.
2. [in a couple large accounts] - MySQL had more impressive customer
testimonials with Yahoo (2001), Sabre/Travelocity (2003),
and Google AdWords(2005). Yes, I know Postgres had users too,
by they were much less visible in business press, etc.
Regarding the slogan, IMVHO it's deep into the don't care
area; well behind the postgre-SQL vs postgres-QL debates.
Though as much as people joke about the "now with easy
hot slaves" one, it
(a) highlights new features where Postgres was lacking, and
(b) would get picked up by a lot of blogs and social sites, and
(c) would probably get more people to read the announcement
just to see what it's talking about.