“Apple has removed access to a built-in MySQL installation in the new Lion Server, released last week, and replaced it with PostgreSQL,” MacNN reports. “Users do still have multiple options to use MySQL, however.”
“The MySQL files from Snow Leopard Server can be reinstalled if needed, but those upgrading from Snow Leopard Server to Lion Server will see their existing MySQL binaries and databases preserved,” MacNN reports. “Users can also take the opportunity to upgrade MySQL to the current version, which was not supported under Snow Leopard Server and is more advanced. Another option (if applicable) is to migrate existing databases over to the provided PostgreSQL, which offers better security and support than MySQL.”
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MacNN reports, “MySQL was not the only component “missing” from Lion Server compared to Snow Leopard Server. The new release — which reduced the price from $500 to $50 — has also dropped native support for TomCat, Axis, Mobile Access and Apple’s own QuickTime Streaming Server. For many users, it is difficult to tell if Apple is simply moving responsibility for keeping such programs up-to-date back onto the developers and users (as it has done with Java and now MySQL) in order to allow users more leeway in choosing versions or branches — or if it is slowly exiting out of the server market altogether.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
Related article:
AnandTech reviews Mac OS X Lion Server: Full-featured, easy-to-manage and simple-to-license – August 2, 2011
Hmm ‘PostgreSQL’.
With a name like that it’ll never catch on.
You’re joking, right?
Oh yeah and don’t forget the Smart Card support they removed. This is why Macs will not make it in the enterprise setting. They keep yanking standard technologies.
just my $0.02
judging from their depleted savings, I suspect Apple needs your 2 cents.
there are third party and open source alternatives that can be purchased or downloaded and installed by system admins if they so choose. Just because Apple removes support doesn’t mean it is no longer supported on the platform.
Apple probably wants to move the responsibility and liability into the hands of the admins and at the same time make their OS more secure by removing technologies that are notorious for security holes.
MYSQL was free… maybe not so anymore
Anyone know, definitively, what version of PostgreSQL is included in Lion Server?
9.0.4 which is the latest stable release.
Surprising it’s so current given Apple is still bundling outdated versions of Ruby and Python.
MySQL was never free – it was only free for “personal use”. As a LOT of companies found out MySQL licenses are actually quite expensive.
PostgreSQL on the other hand is more powerful & secure, and is free for any purpose.
That is not actually accurate. MySql is the most installed Webserver database in the world and anyone can download it from mysql.org and use the Community server as desired. I personally prefer PostgreSQL, so go Apple. This is an awesome addition.
Folks… Postgres is a really great database.
Unlike MySQL it doesn’t try and be everything to everyone. It does real db stuff out of the box and does it really well. May be a bit of overkill for your weekend project, but I would suggest that most projects starting with MySQL ‘caus it’s easy , would be much better off with postgres.
http://www.postgresql.org/about/
http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Main_Page
I ran hellophp on the non-server version of Lion. MySQL shows up.
Was your Lion an upgrade from Snow Leopard? Did you have any MySQL databases in that Snow Leopard before migrating to Lion?
If neither, that it is interesting how Apple decided to leave Apache/MySQL/PHP (AMP) in the desktop version of Lion, but decided to replace MySQL with PostgreSQL for the sever.
I have a feeling that many will actually welcome removal of open-source (and/or free) services from Lion Server. Apple never provided software updates for any of those (Apache, MySQL, Tomcat, PHP, etc). If you wanted to use the most recent stable and secure distribution, you had to install your own instance of the same service. Since many, if not most, of these are free, nothing significantly changes in terms of missing functionality here. Most of those who need these services have always installed their own instance with more of an up-to-date version. Those who don’t need them won’t miss them anyway.
As for PostgreSQL, while MySQL seems more popular for web-based applications (due to its perceived speed advantage), there is this common perception that PostgreSQL provides much more feature-complete ACID-compliant RDBMS. Apple moving away from MySQL and towards PostgreSQL seems to imply that they prefer offering a more robust solution. Especially since PostgreSQL is a truly open-source solution, where licensing is not an issue, while MySQL belongs to a company that controls licensing and usage.
This probably won’t impact most businesses, unless you’re standardized and invested in MySQL. But then, you can download and get a license.
Hardcore geeks and and open source gurus have been arguing for years that PostgreSQL is a better database than MySQL. MySQL became more popular with early web developers, for a variety of reasons. I’ve worked directly with these project leaders and I believe PostgreSQL is better (MySQL was always chasing business features). PostgreSQL is also more Oracle-friendly or transportable, for whatever that’s worth.