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With all the praise and hype postgresql gets, you wonder why all this awesome services are mysql first, RDS? mysql first, aurora? mysql compatible, google cloud

With all the praise and hype postgresql gets, you wonder why all this awesome services are mysql first, RDS? mysql first, aurora? mysql compatible, google cloud sql? mysql, netflix? mysql, github? mysql. I think mysql users are just there quietly making money while postgres users are bashing mysql ;) I also think services like aurora are strong selling point for starting new tech businesses with mysql.

lmickh 10y ago
Better technical implementation != greater adoption. If it did, PHP wouldn't be where it is today (everywhere). Timing has more to do with adoption then the technical implementation. Being the first thing that is "good enough" for wide spread use is key. The last 20 years are riddled with examples such as Docker.
- rimantas 10y ago
  Except for replication, which matters to big companies, PG cannot really claim better implementation. And when few use your product at scale it does not get tested in really stressful situation, and when it does we have Uber situation.
hrayr 10y ago
"...we did not have much in house expertise using PostgreSQL" This seems to be the underlying factor.
- Scarbutt 10y ago
  That's actually my point.
  - philliphaydon 10y ago
    I don't see how that is your point.
ben_jones 10y ago
I'd be interested to see how many large companies have the courage to switch their databases after they've reached a "mature" stage as a company. My guess is a very small number have the technical expertise in order to make it worth doing in the first place, meaning in many cases the database the CEO picked when it was him in a basement learning to code for the first time is the one used in production many years later.
- brianwawok 10y ago
  Sure it depends on use. If someone is all ORM all the time they may change fairly easily. If someone is all stored procedure all the time, I doubt they ever migrate.
tn13 10y ago
I helped several small business run web apps that use mysql without any issue. Only one of my customer asked for a Discourse installation that had postgres. Managing that database was a nightmare. The server would often crash for no reason, took seriously large diskspace etc. Unlike mysql I was not able to quickly understand the problems and handle them. I am pretty sure when configured properly etc. Postgres runs better than mysql but that extra trouble is not worth for most people.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
brianwawok 10y ago
I heard it's because it is easier to extend / hack MySQL with custom storage engines. Even if you don't love MySQL you could still build a cool product on it.
elmigranto 10y ago
> I think mysql users are just there quietly making money 98% percent of people using w/ever are quietly making money. Then you have 1% that complain and 1% that praise. (Numbers are arbitrary.)
stephenr 10y ago
> praise and hype postgresql gets You could apply the same sentence to NodeJS, Rails, MongoDB, etc - hype is not necessarily a good thing, if you read the definition: - Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion; - Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material; - An advertising or promotional ploy; This is technology, there are always going to be "my stack is better than yours" arguments and fanboys claiming their newest tech choice is simply amazing because it does $x, $y and $z.

lmickh 10y ago

Better technical implementation != greater adoption. If it did, PHP wouldn't be where it is today (everywhere). Timing has more to do with adoption then the technical implementation. Being the first thing that is "good enough" for wide spread use is key. The last 20 years are riddled with examples such as Docker.

rimantas 10y ago
Except for replication, which matters to big companies, PG cannot really claim better implementation. And when few use your product at scale it does not get tested in really stressful situation, and when it does we have Uber situation.

hrayr 10y ago

"...we did not have much in house expertise using PostgreSQL" This seems to be the underlying factor.

Scarbutt 10y ago
That's actually my point.
- philliphaydon 10y ago
  I don't see how that is your point.

ben_jones 10y ago

I'd be interested to see how many large companies have the courage to switch their databases after they've reached a "mature" stage as a company. My guess is a very small number have the technical expertise in order to make it worth doing in the first place, meaning in many cases the database the CEO picked when it was him in a basement learning to code for the first time is the one used in production many years later.

brianwawok 10y ago
Sure it depends on use. If someone is all ORM all the time they may change fairly easily. If someone is all stored procedure all the time, I doubt they ever migrate.

tn13 10y ago

I helped several small business run web apps that use mysql without any issue. Only one of my customer asked for a Discourse installation that had postgres. Managing that database was a nightmare. The server would often crash for no reason, took seriously large diskspace etc. Unlike mysql I was not able to quickly understand the problems and handle them. I am pretty sure when configured properly etc. Postgres runs better than mysql but that extra trouble is not worth for most people.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

brianwawok 10y ago

I heard it's because it is easier to extend / hack MySQL with custom storage engines. Even if you don't love MySQL you could still build a cool product on it.

elmigranto 10y ago

> I think mysql users are just there quietly making money 98% percent of people using w/ever are quietly making money. Then you have 1% that complain and 1% that praise. (Numbers are arbitrary.)

stephenr 10y ago

> praise and hype postgresql gets You could apply the same sentence to NodeJS, Rails, MongoDB, etc - hype is not necessarily a good thing, if you read the definition: - Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion; - Exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material; - An advertising or promotional ploy; This is technology, there are always going to be "my stack is better than yours" arguments and fanboys claiming their newest tech choice is simply amazing because it does $x, $y and $z.