RE: Re: Re: Why PostgreSQL is not that popular as MySQL ?

Matthew writes:

> [Matthew] Would it make sense for postgre to have a mysql
> compatibility module? An add on package (perhaps in contrib) that would add
> many of the functions that mysql has that postgre does not. I know this
> couldn't cover everything, but it could probably make it much easier to port
> an app written against mysql to postgre. I have seen several posts on these
> lists about someone attempting to port some app to postgre, and now knowing
> how to find the postgre equivelant of some mysql function.

Adding the functions that MySQL has that PostgreSQL doesn't is the least
of your problems. The real problem with porting applications will be that
MySQL fosters a completely different approach to data modelling combined
with the consequential use of non-standard "SQL" constructs. The same
could probably be said for the inverse operation, and we've all heard the
arguments for and against so I won't repeat them, but the fact is that a
transparent porting layer is mostly impossible.

I've tried once to implement the MySQL C API on top of libpq and I gave up
in despair. Just in case someone wanted to try that, too.

--
Peter Eisentraut peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net http://yi.org/peter-e/