Quoting MySQL VP for Community Kaj Arnö:
PostgreSQL hasn’t had much coverage on this site yet and that’s something we’re going to correct now. PostgreSQL has, for the longest time, had a running rivalry with MySQL as the great open source database. MySQL has arguably been more popular but PostgreSQL is not without its share of advocates and adherents.
In this short article, we’re going to take a quick look at two tools written for designing and administering PostrgreSQL databases. These were selected for their recent releases this April.
First up, we have pgDesigner, an open source program for graphic design of PostgreSQL databases. pgDesigner is written in Gambas, a Visual BASIC-like programming language and requires Gambas to run. pgDesigner is currently at version 1.2.3.
Next, we have phpPgAdmin, a web-based administration tool for PostgreSQL databases. phpPgAdmin can administer multiple servers and is ideal for managing remote databases. Almost all aspects of a running PostgreSQL database can be managed using phpPgAdmin. phpPgAdmin is currently at version 4.2.
MyJSQLView is a Java based GUI frontend for viewing, adding, editing, or deleting data in the MySQL, PostgreSQL, and HSQL databases. A query tool allows the building of complex SELECT SQL statements. The application allows sorting, searching, and import/export of table data.
Version 2.87 was just released recently.
Bad news about MySQL: Sun has announced that it will close-source portions of the code. Affected will be features pertaining to online backups in MySQL Enterprise, the commercial version of the database.
This decision, I believe, has much to do with the need to distinguish between the free Community version and the commercial Enterprise edition of MySQL. Sun will develop new features for MySQL Enterprise 6.0 without making them available in MySQL Community.
Before you hit the panic button, it’s important to reiterate the context of this announcement: it only affects the commercial MySQL Enterprise edition, and not the arguably more popular free version. It’s still bad news because it removes a feature important to mission-critical applications from general circulation. However, I hazard that it won’t take long before community-developed alternatives come into play and possibly supplant the commercial offering.
An article by CIO.com outlines the expected improvements with the next release of MySQL, version 5.1. Sun Claims Big Leap with MySQL Upgrade Next Week says that Sun Microsystems, which bought MySQL AB, will use its upcoming MySQL conference to release 5.1.
MySQL 5.1 promises some major features. Among the advances are partitioning, events scheduling, row-based replication, and disk-based clustering. According to the article, these are features found in commercial offerings like DB2 and Oracle.
Another improvement is Maria, a transactional engine for MySQL.
