It's ridiculous; every time I have been forced to use a MySQL system it comes across as such a stone-age tool, outdated and badly designed in almost every respe

It's ridiculous; every time I have been forced to use a MySQL system it comes across as such a stone-age tool, outdated and badly designed in almost every respect. Sure, you can debate various technical merits (MySQL has at least two), but the main reason for MySQL's continued popularity is not technical, but historical.