bliako has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Dear Monks,

For some time now, my linux distro installs MariaDB instead of MySQL on a version upgrade (fedora38)! Yep! It zaps MySQL and puts MariaDB there. I had managed before to uninstall it and reinstall MySQL. But this time I came to a wall. Two actually.

One, the mariadb connectors package is required by some other package (vtk) even if I have installed and using MySQL. And so it can not be uninstalled without that package breaking. The mariadb connectors supply mysql_config which is used by DBD::mysql to find the current MySQL version which freaks out when it reports 10.8 (MariaDB version!) instead of 8.0 (MySQL version). This obstacle can be overcome with breaking that package. No big deal, just irritation.

Two, after installing MySQL (and erasing MariaDB), MySQL fails to initialise the database directories. Doing it manually makes things even worse with wrong usernames etc.

So, I quit right there and restored MariaDB. My task now is to change DSNs in my Perl codes and hopefully only minor changes in SQL files.

My question is: shall I bang my head more on that wall and finally manage to install MySQL (and repeat this procedure once a year when the distro makes a version upgrade) or go with the flow of MariaDB? Yeah Maria sounds enticing as long as it is not the Black Maria! Although I have no problem with any other Black or White Maria.

I know there are other DBs there but I started with that.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I have already hit another obstacle despite the widely advertised "MariaDB is a drop-in replacement for MySQL", described at MariaDB : read credentials from file fails (via dsn option mariadb_read_default_file).

Edit2: the die has been cast, the rubicon has been crossed with MariaDB.

Edit3: met with some problems : DBD::MariaDB + DBIx::Class = woes

thank you // bw, bliako

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Is it worth migrating from MySQL to MariaDB?
by choroba (Cardinal) on Nov 03, 2023 at 21:31 UTC
    I'd definitely switch to DBD::MariaDB. I even had a lightning talk about it in Glasgow in 2018. The slides are here.

    map{substr$_->[0],$_->[1]||0,1}[\*||{},3],[[]],[ref qr-1,-,-1],[{}],[sub{}^*ARGV,3]
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[d/l]

      I will have a look, thanks

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Re: Is it worth migrating from MySQL to MariaDB?
by einhverfr (Friar) on Nov 04, 2023 at 06:37 UTC

    So I am more of a Postgres guy so take this for what it is worth. I haven't spent a lot of time working with either MySQL (and when I have, I have been deeply frustrated, nor have I spent a lot of time with MariaDB either.

    However, I do go to conferences and occasionally meet MySQL representatives and MariaDB community folks. This year I had some very long conversations with Daniel Black at FossAsia. I have also met a few others in the MariaDB community.

    My impression from all the conversations I have had is that MariaDB is a far more healthy community than MySQL, that they are aware of where they have competitive edges and shortcomings and are interested in working on the latter, and they seem well ahead of MySQL at addressing these. While I plan to stick with PostgreSQL, if I was making the decision today, I would definitely switch. Community and openness to critique beats Oracle Corporation every time.

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[OT] Re: Is it worth migrating from MySQL to MariaDB?
by jo37 (Curate) on Nov 03, 2023 at 21:52 UTC

    Regarding Maria:
    Michael Widenius has three children: My, Max and Maria. MySQL, MaxDB and MariaDB were named after them.

    Greetings,
    -jo

    $gryYup$d0ylprbpriprrYpkJl2xyl~rzg??P~5lp2hyl0p$
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      I knew about My but didn't realise Max and Maria were also his daughters.

      They are in the good company of Mercedes for being named after a daughter

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      that's interesting to know!
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Re: Is it worth migrating from MySQL to MariaDB?
by Bod (Parson) on Nov 03, 2023 at 22:47 UTC
    My question is: shall I bang my head more on that wall and finally manage to install MySQL (and repeat this procedure once a year when the distro makes a version upgrade) or go with the flow of MariaDB?

    When I migrated from MySQL to MariaDB I was unsure...but, in hindsight it was good move.

    However, if you use temporal tables, spatial data types or you run DDL from Perl, you will have to make quite a few changes to your SQL. If you are not using those then you will probably find the migration quite painless.

    EDIT - added missing 'not'...

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