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Mini SQL (abbreviated mSQL) is a lightweight database management system from Hughes Technologies.
HistoryEdit
In 1993–94 David Hughes developed a network monitoring and management system called Minerva.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The design of this system required a database management system to store its configuration and working data. To enable future portability, Hughes elected to use a Structured Query Language interface between the application and the database management system, despite the fact that at the time there was no free or inexpensive SQL database management implementation available. Hughes therefore developed a translation program which provided an SQL interface to the free Postgres DBMS (which did not use SQL<ref>Template:Cite book
"Postgres, unfortunately, came with similar resource requirements as its commercial counterparts without the advantage of SQL as a query language. At the time, postgres used a variant of the QUEL language called PostQUEL"</ref>). This product was named miniSQL,Template:Clarify or mSQL. In time it became clear that Postgres did not perform adequately on the low-specification systems used to run Minerva, so mSQL developed into a lightweight database management system in its own right, implementing a limited subset of the SQL standard, but performing well on minimally specified hardware.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
mSQL was the first low-cost SQL-based database management system.Template:Citation needed Combined with the free Linux operating system, the availability of relatively powerful low-cost PC hardware, and the development of World Wide Web standards and technologies, mSQL was an important factor in the early development of interactive, dynamic web applications,<ref name="lj1997">Template:Cite news</ref> particularly in the period 1994–1997, after which it was increasingly supplanted by the more highly featured MySQL. mSQL had a large and widespread install base by the late 1990s.<ref name="redhat" />
LicenseEdit
Despite being offered in source code form, and being strongly associated with open source software, mSQL itself has never been offered under an open source license.
mSQL is provided free for non-commercial use.<ref name="redhat">Template:Cite book</ref> A typical license for commercial use in 1997 would cost $170,<ref name="lj1997" /> compared to a "five-digit purchase price"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for its full-featured competitors.
Current statusEdit
By 1996, development on mSQL began to stagnate and MySQL arose to fill that void. By 1999, MySQL had surpassed mSQL<ref name="redhat" /> in popularity and today mSQL has less visibility. At this time the database system is more often licensed by other companies for use in their products than used by end-users directly. mSQL is actively maintained and developed primarily to support its licensees and internal use within Hughes Technologies products and projects. It is still provided under a license that allows its use free of charge for non-commercial, educational and charitable activities. mSQL 4.4 was released in October 2021.
Host languagesEdit
mSQL originally supported several host languages:
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
<references />