MySQL Notes

O'Reilly Network: Why MySQL grew so fast (news from the 2004 MySQL Users Conference) [Apr. 19, 2004] tries to answer the question that's on alot of people's minds. It points out some interesting facts:

• MySQL AB claims an installed base of five million systems, the largest of any database engined.
  
• The mysql.com domain sees almost as much traffic as ibm.com.
  

MySQL was the first database I used and learned on (just like nearly everyone that ran a hobby site did in the 90s). The largest it got was 120mb, a prestty decent size for that time. It was a very, very good database for that purpose back then, and has improved a great deal since. And after having worked for years now with SQL and Oracle, I can say this is definitely not something mainstream DBAs want to get with their pants down on, as it has definitely not stopped it's march into the data center yet. At the least, don't let this quote describe you:

MySQL, first of all, illustrates in almost pure form the sequence of events Clayton M. Christensen documented as a "disruptive technology" in his ground-breaking book The Innovator's Dilemma. Early versions of MySQL lacked the basic features, such as ACID transactions and referential integrity, that experienced users expected from a relational database. In a pattern familiar to anyone who has read Christensen's book, knowledgeable observers dismissed MySQL as a toy.

It is definitely not a toy.