[epo]

MySQL is a triumph of branding and fanboy self-delusion.

MySQL made it easier initially by omitting lots of difficult stuff (data integrity, management, transactions) thus making easier to get something working quickly. It also had a reputation for being faster then PostgreSQL, a reputation spread by fanboys (in truth people who were bigging up the only database they had a faint comprehension of).

Then it became ubiquitious. Now, like some nasty rash, we can't get rid of it.

[masklinn]

> It also had a reputation for being faster then PostgreSQL

It was indeed much faster when reading (probably still is on MyISAM) due to the lack of everything (especially transactions and any concept of data integrity).

[lamby]

> MySQL made it easier initially by omitting lots of difficult stuff (data integrity, management, transactions) thus making easier to get something working quickly.

Remind anyone of NoSQL? :)