MySQL: Building User Interfaces (Landmark)

Why You Should Use MySQL

What are some advantages of using MySQL? Why is it a good choice? Can it stand up to enterprise-level work? MySQL is a highly capable database that can compete with anything on the market for these reasons:

• Speed.   MySQL is very lean. The MySQL Web site maintains data on how MySQL stacks up against several other database products. See for yourself at http://www.mysql.com/information/crash-me.php.

• Scalability.   MySQL can handle an unlimited number of simultaneous users and 50 million records. Most likely, you won t outgrow it anytime soon.

• Simplicity.   MySQL is for those who know what they re doing so that they can work around or program their own advanced functions, such as stored procedures or subselects. MySQL is at its core a small, fast database, and keeping it this way means that certain resource- intensive features are kept out by design.

• Cost.   Is MySQL free? Yes. (See the next section.) If you do purchase a license, your cost will be around $200 ”not bad for a world-class database that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best.

• Portability.   If MySQL hasn t been ported to your platform, it probably will be soon, and if it isn t, you can do the port yourself. Because you can compile from source, you can at least compile it to run on whatever machine you use. MySQL already works on all major platforms: MS Windows, Linux, Sun, and so on.