Good bye MySQL, Welcome MariaDB – Explained

Since i started working on Linux, the MySQL used to be the default database but suddenly it was replaced by MariaDB –  a “drop-in” replacement of MySQL. What happened all of a sudden? Here what im trying find out:

Short answer: Due to fear that Oracle is making MySQL a more closed software after it acquired Sun Microsystems, community ditches MySQL and adopts MariaDB.

Long answer:

• 23 May 1995, MySQL initially release – MySQL was created by a Swedish company, MySQL AB, founded by David Axmark, Allan Larsson and Michael “Monty” Widenius. Monty named MySQL after his daughter My.
• In 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL AB.
• Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems on 27 January 2010.
• In January 2009, prior to Oracle’s acquisition of MySQL, Monty Widenius started a GPL-only fork, MariaDB. MariaDB is based on the same code base as MySQL server 5.5 and aims to maintain compatibility with Oracle-provided versions. MariaDB is named after Monty’s younger daughter Maria.
• MySQL founders and many developers started feeling that Oracle is making MySQL a more closed software project. From Wikipedia –
  

  As part of the negotiations with the European Commission, Oracle committed that MySQL server will continue until at least 2015 to use the dual-licensing strategy long used by MySQL AB, with proprietary and GPL versions available. The antitrust of the EU had been “pressuring it to divest MySQL as a condition for approval of the merger”. But, as revealed by WikiLeaks, the US Department of Justice and Antitrust, at the request of Oracle, pressured the EU to unconditionally approve the merger. The European Commission eventually unconditionally approved Oracle’s acquisition of MySQL on 21 January 2010.

• MySQL founders, Monty Widenius started a movement against Oracle’s acquisition of MySQL, to “Save MySQL”. Read more – http://monty-says.blogspot.in/2009/12/help-saving-mysql.html
• One of blogger criticized Monty –
  

  Sorry to hear that, but I still think we should have a free market.If you want to have a free MySql why have you not stated this in the selling contract with Sun.If we are worried for MySql, I don’t think we need to blame Oracle, but MySQL AB for selling the copyright without taking the required assurance measurements of having a free MySql in the future.Maybe I’m wrong, but this is how I see these things.Just my 2 cents.

• Monty replied over saving MySQL as –
  

  When MySQL was sold to Sun, I had no possibility to affect the contract.However, I was not then concerned about the freedom of MySQL as Sun has everyreason in the world to continue to develop as an Open Source project. (No conflict of interest).With Oracle this is not true. The EC made a statement of objection because they think that letting Oracle have MySQL would decrease competition in the market (which should lead to higher prices). Oracle is now trying to force the commissions hand by telling customers to contact EC and require them to unconditionally approve of the deal.I don’t think it’s right that big companies should be able to buy they way out of competition chargers by mobilizing customers. To counter this, we need to send emails to EC and tell them what the market really believes about the deal!It’s not a question of what happened in the past. We can still ensure that MySQL will continue to be free if we act fast!

• In 2013-2014, major players like Wikimedia Foundation, Google, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Mozilla, LAMP stack, OpenBSD, openSUSE etc replaced MySQL with MariaDB.
• 17 September 2014 – Fedora developers replaced MySQL with MariaDB in Fedora 19. This followed major applications like DBEdit, phpMyAdmin, HeidiSQL, MediaWiki, WordPress, Drupal, ERP5 and Zend Framework started officially support MariaDB.
• Good bye MySQL, Welcome MariaDB 🙂