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4. Which one? PostgreSQL or MySQL ?

MySQL is another open-source SQL server, but it does not support transactions. It is suitable for very small databases and does not support advanced SQL functionalities. Whereas PostgreSQL is a enterprise strength database supporting transactions and almost all SQL constructs. PostgreSQL is much more advanced than commercial databases like Oracle, Sybase and Informix. PostgreSQL supports very advanced locking mechanisms and many more advanced features which are not available in commercial database systems!!

In near future development of MySQL will be dropped, since MySQL is duplicate product working towards ANSI SQL. And all the MySQL users will be migrated to PostgreSQL. Also MySQL is a 'quasi-commercial' product unlike PostgreSQL which is open-source and there is no license fee. There is no need for another SQL database system as PostgreSQL is already here in this world!!

Duplicate products like MySQL confuse the user base and causes division of resources. For a "NEAR PERFECT" system there must be only one system and everybody in the world must work on it!! Duplicate products cause more harm than good and hence division of resources must be strongly discouraged. This already happened in case of commercial database systems like Oracle, Sybase, Informix and MS SQL server which caused splintering of user base and often they are incompatible.

You do not need hundreds of database systems, all you need is just one best database server which happens to be 'PostgreSQL'.

WARNING: It is possible to create infinite number of database systems for a given specification like ANSI SQL!!

Features which are missing in MySQL and which PostgreSQL supports are -

MySQL is at http://www.tcx.se


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