放弃MySQL的五大理由

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      是时候放弃MySQL的五大理由

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      5 Reasons It’s Time to Ditch MySQL

5 Reasons It’s Time to Ditch MySQL

July 10, 2013 by  Rikki Endsley  20 Comments

MySQL is still the most popular open-source database, but it has been losing fans over the years – for good reason. We look at five practical motivations to dump the MySQL database.

Back in 2008, MySQL was rapidly growing in popularity when Sun Microsystems bought MySQL AB for approximately a billion bucks. The following year, Oracle scooped up Sun, and MySQL was part of the deal. MySQL users and developers started questioning the fate of the open-source database, and many of them began looking for alternatives.

Flash forward to 2013: Oracle didn’t kill off its former competitor, and MySQL remains the most popular open source database. Still, MySQL’s popularity is on the decline; as it loses its luster, viable database alternatives have started to shine. Let’s look at five good reasons not to use the former open source database standard, MySQL. (To see the other side of the argument, read Andy Patrizio’s article on the 5 reasons to stick with MySQL. Then make your own decision, and share it with us in the comments.)

1. MySQL is not as mature as other relational database management systems.

MySQL did not start out as an RDBMS, but later changed direction to encompass more functionality. Older, more mature relational database management systems are still considered more feature-rich than MySQL. If you want a feature-rich RDBMS, you might check out PostgreSQL or closed source options, such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server.

PostgreSQL contributor Selena Deckelmann says that Postgres is seen as the right choice for new projects among Web developers who need a relational database. “With the JSON data type and PLV8, Postgres may become the default choice for NoSQL as well,” she says.

2. MySQL is open source… but only sorta

Technically, MySQL is an open-source database, but in practice, it no longer feels like it. Under Oracle’s umbrella, MySQL now has proprietary, closed-source modules. “MySQL remains alive on paper but Oracle’s foot dragging on development and refusal to release test cases for bugs and security patches for MySQL has reinforced its control over the code and sent hordes of open source developers to greener pastures,” Paula Rooney explains in her ZDNet article, Is it time for Oracle to donate MySQL to Apache?

It isn’t like you don’t have other open-source alternatives. MariaDB, a MySQL fork, remains “truly open source.” SkySQL, a MariaDB developer that merged with Monty Program Ab (MariaDB’s parent company) earlier this year, explains, “All code in MariaDB is released under GPL, LPGL or BSD. MariaDB does not have closed source modules like those you can find in MySQL Enterprise Edition. In fact, all the closed source features in MySQL 5.5 Enterprise Edition are found in the MariaDB open source version.”

3. MySQL’s performance doesn’t scale as well as its competitors

The MariaDB blog offers detailed benchmark results for recent MySQL vs. MariaDB releases, and, although the results were close, MariaDB came out ahead.

PostgreSQL contributor Selena Deckelmann says that Heroku Postgresmakes Postgres more attractive for several reasons, including scaling. “They have arguably the largest hosted environment for Postgres, automatically handle scaling for your apps, and are supporting cool add-ons that make it easy to try out features before you figure out the DevOps situation locally,” she explains, adding, “They just announced support for PLV8, which allows you to run JavaScript in the database and take better advantage of the JSON datatype available in 9.2 and higher.”

4. MySQL is Oracle-owned instead of community driven

MySQL hasn’t changed direction dramatically since it was acquired by Oracle, but Oracle still owns it, which makes some developers nervous. “And, probably worst of all, it’s impossible for the community to work with the MySQL developers at Oracle,” Michael “Monty” Widenius, founder of MySQL and MariaDB, says.

Widenius notes that Oracle does not accept patches or provide a public roadmap. “There is no way to discuss with MySQL developers how to implement things or how the current code works,” he says. If an open source, community developed database matters to you, Widenius recommend MariaDB (duh!) because it is built on top of MySQL and offers more features, speed, and stability, with fewer security issues.

5. The list of big names jumping ship is growing fast

At its June 2013 summit in Boston, Red Hat announced that it was breaking up with MySQL. Instead, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) will ship with MariaDB. Fedora already announced that it would move from MySQL to the MariaDB fork with Fedora 19. Slackware Linux announced its move from MySQL to MariaDB in March 2013, and openSUSE made a similar announcement in January 2013.

It isn’t just the Linux distributions. In April 2013, the Wikimedia Foundation announced that Wikipedia, the world’s seventh most popular website, would be adopting MariaDB. In the announcement, Wikimedia Foundation Site Architect Asher Feldman explained that MariaDB’s optimizer enhancements and Percona’s XtraDB feature set were compelling reasons for the change. “Equally important, as supporters of the free culture movement, the Wikimedia Foundation strongly prefers free software projects; that includes a preference for projects without bifurcated code bases between differently licensed free and enterprise editions,” he added. “We welcome and support the MariaDB Foundation as a not-for-profit steward of the free and open MySQL related database community.” As technology journalist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (and contributor here at SmartBear) noted at the end of 2012, no matter how you feel about Oracle or open-source vs. proprietary software, “MariaDB’s better performance at one of the world’s busiest Web sites is going to draw attention from anyone running serious Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl (LAMP) software stacks.”

So what do these big data, tech-savvy companies know that loyal MySQL users don’t? MySQL is no longer the only big fish in a small pond of database solutions. Instead, MySQL is up against its own Oracle-free, truly open source offspring, MariaDB, the increasingly popular PostgreSQL RDBMS, and agrowing NoSQL market. If you haven’t dumped MySQL yet, there are plenty of reasons to reconsider.

About the author

Rikki Endsley writes for a variety of tech publications, is the community manager for USENIX, and is the managing editor of the association’s bi-monthly publication, ;login:. In the past, Rikki worked as the editor in chief of Ubuntu User magazine, associate publisher of Linux Pro Magazine, and managing editor of Sys Admin magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @rikkiends or visit rikkiendsley.com.

See also:

• 5 Reasons to Stick with MySQL
• Picking the Right Web Server for the Right Job
• What Your QA Team Can Learn from Open Source Development Projects

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MySQL目前仍然是受欢迎的开源数据库，但是近些年来它已经慢慢失宠了——这很正常。下面来看看放弃使用MySQL数据库的五个较实际的理由。

追溯到2008年，当Sun Microsystems以大约一亿美元收购MySQL AB的时候，MySQL迅速成长为大受欢迎的数据库。然而第二年，Oracle接管了Sun，MySQL也是交易的一部分。MySQL的用户和开发者开始质疑开源数据库的命运，与此同时他们开始寻找替代品。

转眼到了2013年：Oracle并没有消灭这个昔日的竞争对手，MySQL仍然是最受欢迎的开源数据库。可是MySQL的知名度正在下滑，因为它已经失去了诱惑力，各种可行的数据库替代品也正在崭露头角。让我们来看看不再使用前开源数据库MySQL的五大理由。

1. MySQL不如其它关系型数据库管理系统那样成熟

MySQL起初并不是一个RDBMS（关系型数据库管理系统），只是后来改变方向添加了更多的功能。时间久的、更成熟的RDBMS仍然被认为比MySQL功能更丰富。如果你想要一个功能丰富的RDBMS，你可以选择PostgreSQL或者是一些闭源的数据库系统，例如Oracle或Microsoft SQL Server。

PostgreSQL的贡献者Selena Deckelmann表示：对于需要关系型数据库的Web开发人员来说，Postgres看起来是新项目的不二选择。“通过加入JSON数据类型和PLV8特性，Postgres也可能成为NoSQL的默认选择”Selena说。

2. MySQL是开源的...但只有近似而已

严格来说，MySQL是一个开源数据库，但是在实践当中，已经感觉不到了。在Oracle的保护伞下，MySQL现在有专利权和源模块。“理论上，MySQL仍然很活跃，但是Oracle的脚步深陷开发进程之中，拒绝发布关于bug的测试案例，而且MySQL的安全补丁已经在代码上加强控制，并输送大量的开源开发人员到新的领域。”Paula Rooney在她的ZDNet文章里作出解释。难道Oracle真的该把MySQL奉献给Apache吗？

其实有很多开源替代品可以选择。MariaDB是MySQL的一个分支，仍然是“真正的开源。”一位MariaDB的开发人员解释说：“MariaDB的所有代码都是在GPL，LPGL或BSD下面发行的。MariaDB并没有如你在MySQL Enterprise Edition里所看到的那些闭源模块。事实上，在MySQL 5.5 Enterprise Edition里的所有的闭源特性都可以在MariaDB开源版本里找到。”

3. MySQL的性能无法与竞争对手相提并论

MariaDB的博客为MySQL和MariaDB的对比提供了详细的基准测试结果，尽管对比结果很接近，但是MariaDB有绝对的优势。

PostgreSQL的贡献者Selena Deckelmann说Heroku Postgres让Postgres更有吸引力，原因有几个，其中包括缩放功能。“可以说他们是Postgres最大的服务器托管环境，为你的Apps自动处理扩展，支持出色的附加组件，使你在找出DevOps本地情况之前更容易试用各种功能。”她解释道，“他们只宣布支持PVL8——允许你在数据库里运行JavaScript，并能更好的利用9.2和更高版本的JSON datetype。”

4. MySQL是Oracle所有的，而不是社区驱动的

很显然，在被Oracle接管之后，MySQL并没有改变发展方向，但是，因为目前属于Oracle的事实让一些开发者感到不安。“可能最糟糕的是，技术社区不可能和在Oracle里的MySQL开发人员一起工作。” MySQL和MariaDB创始人Michael “Monty” Widenius如是说。

Widenius指出，Oracle不会接受补丁或提供一个公共的路线图。他说，“没办法和MySQL的开发人员讨论怎样执行一些事情或者怎样让当前的代码运作。”如果一个开源项目的开发数据库和你有关，Widenius会向你推荐MariaDB，因为它是基于MySQL建立的，并且提供了更多新特性、速度和稳定性，而且更安全。

5. 越来越多的强劲对手

2013年6月在波士顿举行的峰会上，Red Hat宣布和MySQL分道扬镳。取而代之的是Red Hat将和MariaDB同上一条船。Slackware Linux 2013年3月宣布将MySQL转移向MariaDB，而且openSUSE在2013年1月也作出了相似的宣布。

在2013年4月，Wikimedia基金会宣布Wikipedia网站（全球最受欢迎的第七大网站）采用MariaDB。Wikimedia Foundation Site架构师Asher Feldman解释称，MariaDB的优化程序增强功能和Percona的XtraDB功能设置是作出改变的根本原因。“作为自由文化运动的支持者，我认为这是同等重要的。”Wikimedia Foundation强烈倾向于自由软件开发项目，包括一个在无偿授权和企业版本之间没有分叉代码库的项目。”他补充到，“我们欢迎并支持MariaDB Foundation作为一个非盈利组织，尤其是在自由和开放的MySQL数据库相关社区方面。”

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols是一个科技记者（这里作为SmartBear的贡献者），在2012年结束之际提到，不管你怎么看待Oracle或开源vs.专有软件，MariaDB在世界最繁忙的Web站点之一的优秀性能正在吸引人们的注意力，不管你正在使用的是Linux、Apache、MySQL还是PHP/Python/Perl（LAMP）软件堆栈。

这些海量数据有什么作用呢，技术型公司知道那些忠实的用户不会放弃MySQL的。MySQL不再是唯一的了不起的数据库解决方案。相比之下，MySQL正面临着巨大的挑战——甲骨文免费版、真正的开源产物MariaDB、不断争宠的PostgreSQL RDBMS和不断膨胀的NoSQL市场。如果你还没有放弃MySQL，这里有充足的理由供你重新考虑。

如果你不支持放弃MySQL的观点，那么请阅读Andy Patrizio的文章继续使用MySQL的5个理由，然后再做决定也不迟。                                                                                                       （责编/王果）

原文：Smartbear