MySQL

The MySQL system implements a fast, multi-threaded, multi-user and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) relational database server. MySQL as free software utilises the GNU General Public License. The Swedish company MySQL AB writes and maintains the system, selling support and service contracts as well as commercially licensed copies of MySQL and employing people all over the world who communicate over the internet. Two Swedes and a Finn founded MySQL AB: David Axmark, Allan Larsson and Michael "Monty" Widenius. Despite the widespread pronunciation of SQL as "sequel", professionals generally pronounce "MySQL" as "My ess-que-ell", not "My-Sequel".

Platforms

MySQL, an open source product, works on many different platforms including AIX, BSDi, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, Mac OS X, NetBSD, OpenBSD, OS/2 Warp, SGI IRIX, Solaris, SunOS, SCO OpenServer, SCO UnixWare, Tru64, Windows 95, 98, NT and 2000.

Programming Languages

Programming languages which can access MySQL databases include C, C++, Eiffel, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, and Tcl; each of these using a specific API. An ODBC interface called MyODBC also exists. MySQL uses C as its "native" language.

Early versions

Early versions of MySQL included few standard DBMS features. This led some database experts, such as Chris Date and Fabian Pascal, to criticize MySQL, particularly for the lack of transactions, as well as the lack of enforced integrity constraints (which in other DBMSes allow the database system to ensure that applications cannot insert inconsistent values). [1]

The latest production version

As of 2003 MySQL offers production version 4.0. It includes the following features:

A broad subset of ANSI SQL 99, as well as extensions
Cross-platform support
Independent storage engines (MyISAM for read speed, InnoDB for transactions and referential integrity)
Transactions
SSL Support
Query caching
Replication
Full-text indexing and searching
Embedded database library

It does not include the following features:

Sub-SELECTs (or nested SELECTs)
multibyte character encoding or Unicode/UTF-8
Stored procedures

The development version

As of 2003 the development version, Version 4.1, includes support for the following features:

Sub-SELECTS
UTF-8
Support for geographical data (OpenGIS)
Derived tables
Multi-line queries

Future releases

MySQL 5.0 will contain support for the following features:

Stored procedures
Triggers
Cursors
True VARCHAR support
Easier GIS access

MySQL 5.1 will contain support for:

Foreign key support for all table types
Online backup
Fail-safe replication
Column-level constraints

MySQL 6.0 will contain support for views.

Wikipedia on MySQL

In August 2001, a test version of the Wikipedia software using PHP and MySQL appeared; in January 2002 it became the new software running Wikipedia. See the MediaWiki page. In May 2003, this code base underwent an upgrade to MySQL version 4.0.12 from the previous version 3.x.