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NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

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Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#21

Post by moultano »

gaius wrote: post #18
jrockway wrote: post #10

NoSQL is sticky because people have been misusing SQL databases for things that they are bad at for years. Now people are doing things right, and it feels better. All the people that show up to NoSQL articles and say, "you should always use SQL" are the ones that happened to use relational databases for the right tasks. I wish there was a delay between when screws were invented and when screwdrivers were invented so…

Well, there is also the widespread belief that "if MySQL doesn't do it, it's impossible for any RDBMS to". When people say "scalability" or "sharding" for instance, this is what they're complaining about.

I read that complaint as being about cost-effectiveness rather than strictly possibility.

Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#22

Post by silentbicycle »

moultano wrote: post #21
gaius wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, there is also the widespread belief that "if MySQL doesn't do it, it's impossible for any RDBMS to". When people say "scalability" or "sharding" for instance, this is what they're complaining about.

I read that complaint as being about cost-effectiveness rather than strictly possibility.

Yeah, it's too bad there aren't any free RDBMSs besides MySQL.

Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#24

Post by jbooth »

gaius wrote: post #18
jrockway wrote: post #10

NoSQL is sticky because people have been misusing SQL databases for things that they are bad at for years. Now people are doing things right, and it feels better. All the people that show up to NoSQL articles and say, "you should always use SQL" are the ones that happened to use relational databases for the right tasks. I wish there was a delay between when screws were invented and when screwdrivers were invented so…

Well, there is also the widespread belief that "if MySQL doesn't do it, it's impossible for any RDBMS to". When people say "scalability" or "sharding" for instance, this is what they're complaining about.

Every single database sharding project I've seen has been a gigantic pile of workarounds and insanity, even if/when people got it to function properly.

How about "if MySQL doesn't do it, then much more expensive databases might do it poorly after a whole bunch of effort"

Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#28

Post by Retric »

jbyers wrote: post #4

"Error establishing a database connection" Perfect.

Nahh perfect would have been if they hat stopped at: Technically, any database could support SQL as a language

Or even added: , but what we are really talking about is half finished databases with limited capabilities that happen to suite a specific need. The reality is SQL is in no way a limitation on a database design, however by lowering the bar you can build a useful prototype which at some point might become a database. And then gone on to describe an actual problem with an interesting solution.

Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#29

Post by faceplant »

I like the fact that it's thought provoking without being a blatant hit-whoring attempt. I mean, hardly anything in there is really "controversial"... it's more like just an interesting analysis of the branding of NoSQL and why it affects people so much.

Re: NoSQL: Why it's So Damn Sticky

#30

Post by devdazed »

I personally think that NoSQL isn't always the right tool for the job. Yes, it scales. Yes, you don't need to structure your data. Yes, it is fast and distributed and can be redundant. To that I say, it is too new, it has a steep learning curve, there aren't any tools to abstract away the database portion.

Now SQL has ease of use, a myriad of tools such as ActiveRecord, or Hibernate, an ANSI specification. All of which allow developers to quickly pump out a site that will handle the needs of 98% of the businesses out there.

There is no need for a small time web store to be using a Hadoop Cluster, just like we wouldn't expect Google to be running on a MySQL backend.

As someone who has worked in both sides of the industry, I can definitely say that trying to integrate a NoSQL solution with a standard 3 Tier type website would increase the cost of development 10 fold. Sure, you can get it with no license fee, but you end up paying for it elsewhere.

Basically it boils down to NoSQL != NoPricetag

P.S> I recently wasted a week of my life trying to get HBase up and working on a small cluster with the data from our Vertica solution. I ended up using InfoBright and got it up and data loaded in a few hours. I am still open to the NoSQL idea for our specific business, but why can't it be just as easy?

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