Some days ago, news.com published an interesting article about MySQL, the Swedish GNU-licensed database system. We are using this DB in the eBusiness Center (pdf) where I’m working, not in a productive environment (without any surprise, we use Oracle ;-), but as a local DB for the developers.

Our usage of MySQL seems to represent actually the strategic positioning of this product in the market, i.e. MySQL is trying to sell its product as an easy-to-use but professional and scalable database. This role was in the past played by Microsoft SqlServer, which is now becoming more and more a direct competitor of Oracle and IBM DB2. Consequently, the MS product is also becoming more and more complexe and expensive. Microsoft leaves this niche market, I mean the market for test, development and small productive environment, which requests less functionality than the ones you can find in Oracle, DB2 or SqlServer.

MySql is a good, performant and reliable database with a reduced set of functionalities, which are just ok for a lot of usages… The product works with a GNU-license, the support fees are really reasonable. It is also interesting to mention that MySQL is developping the product by its own, I mean they do not use the open-souce developers community. This is clearly a way for them to have the product development and technology-orientation under control. MySQL owns all the rights of its code.