It has now been publicly confirmed that Mountain View engineers have switched from the well-known MySQL database to the new open source solution MariaDB, for which they are actively participating in its implementation. The Big G team claims that, from a technical point of view, MariaDB is comparable to MySQL. So why change? Why is Google ready for the “big migration” of thousands of servers? What will be the benefits?
We had the opportunity to address our concerns to the person directly concerned, Michael “Monty” Widenius, creator of MySQL, who “unofficially” revealed to us the secrets of this, if we can call it that, software revolution. Let’s go over the topics addressed together. MariaDB, the open source fork of the popular MySQL relational database, is slowly but surely making its way among MySQL users with the building of an increasingly strong community. Clear evidence of this is the assignment of a full-time engineer to the MariaDB Foundation; it may not be relevant to some but in reality it only scores points in favor of its battle against MySQL’s predecessor. What are the origins of the “battle”?
The Finnish programmer Widenius, after leading MySQL for many years, launched MariaDB in 2009 as a fork of MySQL after it was sold in 2008 to Sun Microsystems and an independent company, Monty Program, was founded. The dominance of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) for websites had to do with MySQL’s position as a niche database. This preeminent position is probably why most people were speechless when Sun Microsystems purchased MySQL, which in turn was purchased, in 2010, by software giant Oracle.
MySQL and MariaDB: which one to choose?
Many users prefer MariaDB out of a purely emotional matter, preferring to “collaborate” with a young, independent support group rather than join the impersonal circle of the Oracle group. What were the false moves of the new MySQL?
- Closed system. The choice depends on changes to MySQL’s much more closed development mode, which led its creator, Monty, to fork it back to the previous development mode with more guarantees;
- Impersonal assistance. It is the team that makes the difference. Those who provide assistance in resolving MariaDB-related issues appear helpful and approachable, ready to guide their users through the resolution. The same cannot be said of the impersonal and “distant” support of the new Oracle people.
- Clash with Oracle. MariaDB is enjoying considerable success; in fact, some distributions have made it the default database. The importance it is gaining is closely related to the uncertain fate of MySQL in that Oracle has a greater interest in spreading its own closed, commercial product than MySQL, which is open and free. Removing the competitor from the market is a strategic marketing move, and users, who can no longer have maximum control over the software, see MariaDB as a viable choice, especially considering its origins.
Technique becomes ideological
Having the same code and negligible differences, we cannot say exactly what the pros and cons of the two systems are, but we prefer to speak of purely philosophical change rather than technical mutation. The real difference why it makes people prefer one system over another is rooted in ideology. What does that mean? There can be no real choice between the two models precisely because they are similar, so we have to be led by common sense and if you will by your own way of thinking. In a society where, unfortunately, homogenization reigns, people prefer to follow the strongest rather than their own ideals. But this is not always the case. There are those who have had the courage to detach themselves from power and money to embrace their own ideas and make them ideals, asking themselves the question: do they prefer a system that has been amalgamated with a software giant that cares about profit? Or prefer a code ripped from its rightful creator and made independent? Widenius was able to choose by following his instincts and preferring an arduous but effective path. During our meeting, Monty was friendly and forthcoming, ready to expound on his motivations to those who have made a profession of his projects and who see in him a kind of legend. In him is personified the real message expressed by MariaDB: availability and resolution; contrary to what we might say about MySQL being too attentive to the product/sales binomial. We can only conclude by quoting a sentence from Monty that encapsulates in its simplicity the core of this revolution and invites us to reflect on the one truth:
“there is no reason not to upgrade to MariaDB
.”
And you…are you planning to upgrade?