[dba-Tech] Relational v NoSQL

Hi Peter:

This is such a big subject so it is hard to limit the discussion to a few
short sentences so my apologies. 

Whether Oracle can change what was basically an OSS product into a
pay-as-you-go product is debatable. They have already lost OpenOffice to
Apache and Libra Office and whether they will be any more successful with
MySQL is a question. IMHO, Oracle's dream of assuming that most of the old
MYSQL database user will accept Oracle's embrace is just that, a dream. (I
know of one local hosting company that still offers MySQL, as one of the
options but their product is really MariaDB.) 

"...So far, Oracle has MariaDB developers running as fast as they can just 
to avoid falling further behind..."

There is no race to add new features and that is hardly something that will
predetermine whether a user go one way or the other. The truth is that
community based OSS products, that are very useful, have no trouble
attracting the very best and brightest developers, from the business world,
from the universities and from everywhere in the world. This always results
in the most innovation and this is why most major computer companies (case
in point; Microsoft) support OSS products. They need the innovation to
improve and advertise their own products.

The difference is that any Oracle changes and improvements cost the
buyer/user directly and any OSS changes will not. I wonder how many techs
and ISPs will be willing to pay for each extra features considering the
improvements will be built in totally proprietary code? Why not just buy
Oracle and have done with it?

The market segment that was attracted to the MySQL OSS is a totally
different market from the companies that are attracted to Oracle... but not
any more. 

Take the case of the little startup of FaceBook. They first used MySQL
because of the price and when they grew they developed and shared many
add-ons that allowed MySQL to work in a distributive environment. They also
made many improvements and fixes to MySQL which they shared back into the
product community to the benefit of many other startups and smaller users.
As the product was OSS, hundreds of other small and growing companies
continued to improve the database application... but not any more.  

(FaceBook, of course will no longer make improvements on MySQL and they have
also moved towards other OSS NoSQL products.)

We shall see if the two concepts of commercial and community development can
find a collaborative position...given Oracle's past record. What is your
bet?

Jim
 
-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Peter Brawley
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 11:19 AM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Relational v NoSQL

On 2013-02-08 1:00 PM, Jim Lawrence wrote:
> Hi Peter:
>
> I predict will be a long while before MySQL disappears from the landscape
as
> MySQL has such an advantage being a very well known and established
product.

It's a web hosting staple, so it won't go away till there are 
fundamental changes in that technology.

> OTOH, MySQL's adoption, for the last few months has been completely flat.

Yes.

> Providers of the database have used MySQL as a stable and inexpensive
> alternative to more pricey options. This is no longer the case.

Did you mean customers? Yes.

>
> As soon as the forks of MySQL like MariaDB start releasing sets of modern
> and competing features and MySQL is offering the same but only at a
> substantual price, the change will happen rapidly.

So far, Oracle has MariaDB developers running as fast as they can just 
to avoid falling further behind.

PB