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Analyzing database trends through 1.8M Hacker News headlines

(camelai.com)
171 points vercantez | 24 comments | 08 Jul 25 02:55 UTC | HN request time: 1.309s | source | bottom
1. codeulike ◴[10 Jul 25 21:46 UTC] No.44525977[source]▶
MS Sql Server not even mentioned. This tells us there is a whole world almost totally omitted from discussion on HN: "Enterprise"
replies(3): >>44526002 #>>44526160 #>>44529909 #
2. fullstackchris ◴[10 Jul 25 21:48 UTC] No.44526002[source]▶
There is a reason it is not even mentioned
replies(1): >>44528331 #
3. thewebguyd ◴[10 Jul 25 22:04 UTC] No.44526160[source]▶
Oracle isn't in there either, which goes to show how much of a bubble HN actually is considering MSSQL and Oracle are #1 and #2 in market share.
replies(5): >>44526709 #>>44529046 #>>44529466 #>>44529705 #>>44529901 #
4. morkalork ◴[10 Jul 25 23:06 UTC] No.44526709[source]▶
I used MS SQL and Oracle at my last job, but what's there to say about them? They've been around forever, are stable and get all the same table-stakes feature updates as everyone else. Start-ups avoid them like the plague because they're so damn expensive, you won't be running either on your phone or an embedded device like SQLite either.
replies(2): >>44528013 #>>44531390 #
5. hinterlands ◴[11 Jul 25 02:54 UTC] No.44528013{3}[source]▶
I do think it's an SFBA / generational bubble. We have plenty of boring, expensive software projects that someone will always bring up in a HN thread. For example, every time there's a thread on PCB design, you have some folks talking about Cadence. What's there to say about Cadence? Well, first and foremost, it costs a lot. Otherwise, it lets you design PCBs. But there are people here who pay for it, use it, and want to talk about it.
replies(1): >>44528348 #
6. cheesekunator ◴[11 Jul 25 04:14 UTC] No.44528331[source]▶
And what's that reason .... ?
7. xyzzy123 ◴[11 Jul 25 04:17 UTC] No.44528348{4}[source]▶
Right but having access to a Cadence license is considered "elite" (it means you are a Real Engineer), while having to use mssql server means you're kind of a schlub (who probably has to work for a real business, that makes money but is super boring, with no equity, among people who don't understand any of this status hierarchy at all).
replies(1): >>44530988 #
8. mirzap ◴[11 Jul 25 06:46 UTC] No.44529046[source]▶
They are perhaps #1 and #2 in the "enterprise" market share, but in no way are they overall #1 and #2. Not even close. Which web app or startup uses them?
replies(2): >>44529060 #>>44529661 #
9. bdangubic ◴[11 Jul 25 06:49 UTC] No.44529060{3}[source]▶
Stackoveflow
replies(2): >>44529101 #>>44529669 #
10. mirzap ◴[11 Jul 25 06:56 UTC] No.44529101{4}[source]▶
One. Continue. For each you mention, I can think of 10 other well-known web apps that don't use them. 90% of the web doesn't use those 2. That's the fact.
replies(1): >>44537566 #
11. bob1029 ◴[11 Jul 25 07:57 UTC] No.44529466[source]▶
Nor is DB2. A non trivial amount of HN's personal wealth is being tracked with this technology right now.
replies(1): >>44532590 #
12. codeulike ◴[11 Jul 25 08:30 UTC] No.44529661{3}[source]▶
Which web app or startup uses them?

Well with that question you neatly define the bubble that you inhabit.

https://db-engines.com/en/ranking ranks Oracle at number 1 and MS Sql Server at number 3, their method being a broad range of statistics based on job offers and web search statistics.

replies(1): >>44532110 #
13. fmsf ◴[11 Jul 25 08:31 UTC] No.44529669{4}[source]▶
Postgres: 51% MS SQL: 27% Oracle: 10%

https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/technology#most-popular...

14. olavgg ◴[11 Jul 25 08:37 UTC] No.44529705[source]▶
I would not call HN a bubble, Enterprises often have unqualified people making "expensive" decisions.
15. oefrha ◴[11 Jul 25 09:02 UTC] No.44529901[source]▶
Well, if you analyze programming language trends through 1.8M Hacker News headlines you’d find Rust is the most popular language and C/C++ are barely even used.
16. diggan ◴[11 Jul 25 09:03 UTC] No.44529909[source]▶
> This tells us there is a whole world almost totally omitted from discussion on HN

It doesn't though, all it tells you is that it's missing from the headlines in the submissions.

"Enterprise" is discussed on HN too, but inside submissions that aren't exclusively about MS Sql Server. Try searching for some terms on the Algolia HN search, order by date and filter by comments and you'll find the subthreads/submissions where it's discussed :)

17. codeulike ◴[11 Jul 25 11:39 UTC] No.44530988{5}[source]▶
I work with charities and non-profits, they tend to use Microsoft stack and things like Salesforce due to the large charity discounts and readily available support. I get to work with nice people doing meaningful things.
replies(1): >>44540840 #
18. llm_nerd ◴[11 Jul 25 12:31 UTC] No.44531390{3}[source]▶
>Start-ups avoid them like the plague because they're so damn expensive

While in a way it's just a corollary on the expensive bit, the license compliance of the same becomes such a monumental hassle as well, and is just an enormous time waste for everyone involved. For everything you want to do there's a probing Microsoft or Oracle salesperson trying to shake you down a little harder.

Go with Postgres et al and you can be geographically distributing, horizontally and vertically scaling in a million ways, making whatever warm of cold standby or recovery system you want, and so on. Even when the pricing of the enterprise offerings were tolerable, the system around constantly extracting a pound of flesh is so overbearing it induces opposition.

19. jamespo ◴[11 Jul 25 13:47 UTC] No.44532110{4}[source]▶
Yes, this is HACKER News
20. williamdclt ◴[11 Jul 25 14:33 UTC] No.44532590{3}[source]▶
I'll admit I don't even know what DB2 is
replies(1): >>44534132 #
21. saghm ◴[11 Jul 25 16:30 UTC] No.44534132{4}[source]▶
It's IBMs SQL database: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Db2
22. bdangubic ◴[11 Jul 25 22:48 UTC] No.44537566{5}[source]▶
One.

You asked for one via Which web app or startup uses them? :)

Also, 90% of the web are either cat memes and stupidly insane things like social media and video streaming shit platforms

23. xyzzy123 ◴[12 Jul 25 10:08 UTC] No.44540840{6}[source]▶
Sorry, parody probably doesn't come across well. I was trying to ridicule the kind of elitism that causes mssql to be "invisible" in many internet bubbles.
replies(1): >>44542420 #
24. codeulike ◴[12 Jul 25 14:43 UTC] No.44542420{7}[source]▶
haha sorry it just seemed such a plausible hn comment