On Thu, 26 Aug 1999, Oliver Elphick wrote: > PostgreSQL has more features, especially transactions; Mysql does not have > these and is therefore faster, but less suitable for applications which > need to guarantee informational integrity. Look at www.postgresql.org > for more information on PostgreSQL.
It is entirely possible to guarantee data integrity in MySQL just as much as with a more ordinary transaction-oriented database. It's a little different way of thinking, though. You have to use a locking system similar to that used in a multithreaded programming language. I personally find the MySQL approach simpler, but it won't be if your brain is already wired for transaction centric thinking. Anyway, for 10-15MB database MySQL's speed will not be that noticeable if you use any kind of reasonable hardware to serve it with (say a Pentium class system). Your choice in this case will be based on licensing (you can't resell MySQL or integrate it into a product you're selling without paying licensing fees, but you get full source to either one) and your desire to use or not use a transaction based approach to SQL. MySQL also is more commonly used for integrating with web applications, but there is no reason why PostgreSQL wouldn't be capable of this too.
