[CentOS] why does centos 7 want to install mariadb instead of mysql ?

Sat Aug 30 22:33:34 UTC 2014
Keith Keller <kkeller at wombat.san-francisco.ca.us>

On 2014-08-30, Tim Dunphy <bluethundr at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I just got around to trying out CentOS 7. And for some reason when I
> attempt to install mysql-server, instead I'm offered mariadb?

There are concerns in the wider open source community about Oracle's
long-term plans for MySQL.  I also imagine there is some concern from
RedHat that Oracle is trying to move in to RedHat's space with Oracle
Linux.

> I'm using epel and remi as my repos.

Questions about non-CentOS repos should probably be directed to lists
for those repos; CentOS has no official authority over EPEL (I am not
familiar with remi).

> I don't know what you think, but this is just weird to me. Why on earth
> would CentOS 7 be trying to get me to install a database that I don't
> really want instead of MySQL? Nothing against mariadb. It's just that I
> haven't tried it yet, and don't have a real interest to.

If MariaDB is coming from EPEL, as suggested by your yum output, then
CentOS is not trying to get you to do anything.  But I believe that
MariaDB is also in core CentOS.  Perhaps RH does not have an alias for
mysql-server but EPEL does?

MariaDB should be a drop-in replacement for MySQL.  If you have concerns
about Oracle and MySQL you should seriously consider trying MariaDB.
You may decide against it, of course, but at least you'll have made a
technical decision instead of a knee-jerk one.  (I do still find links
that conflate MySQL and MariaDB, which is unfortunate.)

--keith

-- 
kkeller at wombat.san-francisco.ca.us