What are the advantages to mySQL? What are its potential pitfalls?
The advantages to MySQL is it is open source. So there is a community there that can help develop the system. Big companies like Google use the software and create patches that help make it a better product. Despite this, MySQL has had many problems in the past with ignoring requests to fix problems including lack of support for multi-core processors and performance issues with InnoDB, the most widely used storage engine for databases on the Internet. The silver-lining to this is Sun Microsystems has recently acquired MySQL and has acknowledged that there are problems with the product. According to Suns CEO MySQL's lack of growth is stemmed from its inability "to give peace of mind to a global company that wants to put MySQL into mission-critical deployments." Hopefully this is a sign that Sun can turn the program around where MySQL to be an even more competitive contender in the SQL market.