Ubuntu Looks Towards MySQL Alternatives

Arch Linux replaced MySQL with MariaDB, openSUSE gutted MySQL, Fedora replaced MySQL, and now Ubuntu Linux is looking to continue the trend.

Discussed today during another session of this week's virtual Ubuntu Developer Summit was what to do about MySQL. With Oracle MySQL, there's growing frustration with the database software by the Linux and open-source communities over Oracle's lack of disclosure with security bugs/fixes, non-public bug information, lack of much "outside code" from other parties going into MySQL, and various other complaints.

For the Ubuntu 13.10 release, Ubuntu/Canonical developers are looking at packaging the Percona Database Software for Debian and provide help in getting MariaDB into upstream Debian, from which they will pull into the "Saucy" repository. They aren't decided firmly yet in the MySQL vs. Percona vs. MariaDB battle but they will look into migration paths used by other Linux distributions and investigate other issues.

It looks like for at least Ubuntu 13.10, MySQL will still be available but they will need to decide soon what to do with Ubuntu 14.04 being an LTS release.

The full discussion can be viewed in full from the virtual Ubuntu Developer Summit with the Google+ Hangout session.