There’s a clear divergence in functionality between MySQL and MariaDB. As PDO evolves to accommodate database-specific drivers, it’s sensible to introduce a MariaDB alias for the MySQL driver. Although the mysqlnd library handles networking protocols for both, practical higher level usage increasingly demands differentiation at the database layer, much like Doctrine’s recent updates requiring distinct identification of MariaDB vs. MySQL.
I propose establishing a MariaDB namespace. This would allow for explicit implementation of database-specific functions and help in correctly mapping methods and queries to the respective database.
There's a clear divergence in functionality between MySQL and MariaDB.
As PDO evolves to accommodate database-specific drivers, it's sensible
to introduce a MariaDB alias for the MySQL driver. Although the mysqlnd
library handles networking protocols for both, practical higher level
usage increasingly demands differentiation at the database layer, much
like Doctrine's recent updates requiring distinct identification of
MariaDB vs. MySQL.
I propose establishing a MariaDB namespace. This would allow for
explicit implementation of database-specific functions and help in
correctly mapping methods and queries to the respective database.
Thoughts? Questions?
I agree with this. Even if the wire protocol isn't different right now, the SQL syntax is. Giving a "native" hook point for people to vary their DB is useful, and sets us up for when there are wire or parser differences later.
Bear in mind that MySQL now also has the mysqlx protocol, which is basically a native query builder that bypasses an SQL string entirely. MariaDB has no such thing. I don't know how that would play into PDO at all, but this sort of split would give us a natural starting point to figure that out in the future.
There's a clear divergence in functionality between MySQL and MariaDB. As PDO evolves to accommodate database-specific drivers, it's sensible to introduce a MariaDB alias for the MySQL driver. Although the mysqlnd library handles networking protocols for both, practical higher level usage increasingly demands differentiation at the database layer, much like Doctrine's recent updates requiring distinct identification of MariaDB vs. MySQL.
I propose establishing a MariaDB namespace. This would allow for explicit implementation of database-specific functions and help in correctly mapping methods and queries to the respective database.
Thoughts? Questions?
It's not clear to me what divergences need to be addressed at the PDO level at this point. Could you please shed some light?
Is it just identification? If so, I think the best place to do it is some user-land configuration.
One thing that comes to mind that I run into is that both have a different set of functions they support to work with JSON objects and they store them differently.
As time goes on, there are more and more database specific differences.
Again, this is about giving people ability to develop stuff based on PDO driver subclass, clearly delineating what is supported for what database. You will not have to look at the code and try to figure out if this works in MySQL or MariaDB or both - you will be able to see that it uses either MySQL driver or MariaDB driver.
As far as PDO development goes, it’s more of an organisational change. Larry has given a pretty clear explanation why it’s good to have this.
I see absolutely no reason to do this. There is no difference between
MySQL and MariaDB in terms of PDO. Sure, the actual RDBMSs have
differences, but they play no role when it comes to PDO.
If MariaDB decides to change the protocol some day then we would need
a new driver to replace mysqlnd. Only then it would make sense to have
PDO_mariadb extension. But that is unlikely to happen any time soon.
The purpose of PDO subclasses is to offer driver specific
functionality and differentiate SQL syntax flavours. MariaDB and MySQL
use the same driver so they offer the same functionality and they use
the same SQL syntax (at least the parts that matter). And we must
remember that MariaDB is not the only MySQL-like DB out there. We are
not going to create a name alias for every possible fork of MySQL that
ever exists. It would be pointless.
On Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at 22:33, Kamil Tekiela <tekiela246@gmail.com> wrote:
I see absolutely no reason to do this. There is no difference between
MySQL and MariaDB in terms of PDO. Sure, the actual RDBMSs have
differences, but they play no role when it comes to PDO.
If MariaDB decides to change the protocol some day then we would need
a new driver to replace mysqlnd. Only then it would make sense to have
PDO_mariadb extension. But that is unlikely to happen any time soon.
The purpose of PDO subclasses is to offer driver specific
functionality and differentiate SQL syntax flavours. MariaDB and MySQL
use the same driver so they offer the same functionality and they use
the same SQL syntax (at least the parts that matter). And we must
remember that MariaDB is not the only MySQL-like DB out there. We are
not going to create a name alias for every possible fork of MySQL that
ever exists. It would be pointless.
I agree with Kamil, MariaDB wanting to be incompatible with MySQL is their choice.
If we introduce an "alias" and the MariaDB behaviour doesn't work, then we are on the hook to "fix" a database driver where we don't have the expertise.
The MySQL driver is intended to only be used with a MySQL database, that it works with MariaDB is just a consequence of them forking from MySQL.
And a user that uses a driver of a different DB than the one they run should expect incompatibilities.
If there is a need for a MariaDB driver, then it should live outside the php-src repo, IMHO.
We already have database drivers that are badly maintained because we don't have the expertise, or only recently acquired people that want to work on them.
We removed the interbase and OCI8 extensions from php-src to PECL for this exact reason.
Thus adding, effectively, a new database driver makes no sense to me.