MySQL is a toy
Really.
mysql> select count(*) from $VERY_LARGE_TABLE ERROR 2013 (HY000): Lost connection to MySQL server during query mysql> select count(*) from $VERY_LARGE_TABLE ERROR 2006 (HY000): MySQL server has gone away No connection. Trying to reconnect... Connection id: 1 Current databse: $DATABASE ERROR 2013 (HY000): Lost connection to MySQL server during query
Yes, I edited the output to hide table- and database-names. Other than that, this is exactly what happened.
I'll have PostgreSQL every day.
Do you have a guess of how many lines did you have in that table, as a matter of curiosity ? Your post remained me of http://docs.moodle.org/en/Arguments_in_favour_of_PostgreSQL where a DBA discusses some shortcomings of MySQL for anyone wanting a sound LAMP installation.
I think the only reason MySQL has gained so many "fans" is the fact that it's labeled "Open Source". I'm using the term "labeled" here to indicate that while it's open source and free, it certainly isn't "gratis". But since nobody cares about license terms these days, everybody uses MySQL even though its features are limited compared to other systems and even though a MySQL server is overkill in 90% of the cases that use it.
You are right!
The are some places where I have to admin mysql and it really suxx.
This machine I admin had a power outage a year ago. I had to manually repair some tables. It was easy, but in a real RDBMS (like Postgres) this is carried out automatically.
The bad thing is that it is not easy to convince people to use Postgres.