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MySQL is much easier to administer and upgrade.

For example I have two versions of Postges running on my machine right now because Debian does not automatically upgrade between them - you have to export your data, and reimport it into the new version.

https://www.pontikis.net/blog/update-postgres-major-version-...

MySQL just works. There are issues with it, but they are not as major as people make them out to be. Sometimes people like "technical purity" over just get the job done.



> MySQL just works

Right up until one of your users tries to use an emoji, apparently.


MySQL doesn't have to know that a db is UTF8 for you to store UTF8 in it. You're not necessarily using its collation functions or anything.

My understanding is replication and setting up MySQL is still easier than Postgres; it definitely was 10 years ago, that's why it's part of LAMP. The data loss issues were fixed forever ago when it switched to InnoDB.

Google AdWords and Facebook both use(d) MySQL a lot and I assume they knew about Oracle and Postgres at the time they were built…


> Google AdWords and Facebook both use(d) MySQL a lot and I assume they knew about Oracle and Postgres at the time they were built…

Why would you assume that? Both of the companies were tiny and full of children when these decisions were made. And Oracle was expensive and a non-starter for explosive horizontal scale.


Well, because I remember 2005 and the Postgres people were just as into posting about how superior it was as they are now.

(Where they had a point because MySQL hadn't switched to InnoDB yet.)


Keep in mind that that's a post from 2016. PG has made many improvements since then. Upgrading is a much easier job right now.

Also, it's strange to conflate PG with Debian issues.


I mean it's not really a Debian issue when Debian's design decisions were informed by the lack of automatic online upgrades at the time.




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