View source for MSQL

{{About-distinguish2|the cross-platform [[Relational database management system|RDBMS]] by Hughes Technologies|Microsoft's Windows based system, [[Microsoft SQL Server]], or [[Module SQL]]}}
{{lowercase|mSQL}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Mini SQL or mSQL
| logo                   =
| screenshot             =
| caption                =
| collapsible            = yes
| developer              = Hughes Technologies
| latest release version = 4.4
| latest release date    = {{start date and age|2021|10|20}}<ref>{{cite web
  | url         = https://www.hughestech.com.au/products/msql/
  | title       = Hughes Technologies : The home of mSQL and Network Knowledge
  | website     = hughestech.com.au
  | access-date = 2021-04-19
}}</ref>
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date    =
| size                   =
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system       = [[Cross-platform]]
| language               = English
| genre                  = [[Relational database management system|RDBMS]]
| license                = Proprietary
| website                = {{URL|https://www.hughestech.com.au/products/msql/}}
}}

'''Mini SQL''' (abbreviated '''mSQL''') is a lightweight [[database management system]] from Hughes Technologies.

==History==
In 1993–94 David Hughes developed a network monitoring and management system called Minerva.<ref>{{cite news|title=Minerva : An Event Based Model For Extensible Network Management|citeseerx = 10.1.1.48.4006}}</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 [[SQL|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>{{cite book|last1=Yarger|first1=Randy Jay|last2=Reese|first2=George|last3=King|first3=Tim|title=MySQL & mSQL|year=1999|publisher=O'Reilly|isbn=1-56592-434-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/mysqlmsql00yarg/page/8 8]|url=https://archive.org/details/mysqlmsql00yarg/page/8}}<br>"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,{{clarify|source needed on spelling. No capitalisation and spacing, i.e. "Mini SQL"?|date=May 2023}} 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>{{cite book|last1=Yarger|first1=Randy Jay|last2=Reese|first2=George|last3=King|first3=Tim|title=MySQL & mSQL|year=1999|publisher=O'Reilly|isbn=1-56592-434-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/mysqlmsql00yarg/page/9 9]|url=https://archive.org/details/mysqlmsql00yarg/page/9}}</ref>

mSQL was the first low-cost SQL-based database management system.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} 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">{{cite news|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2206|title=Using mSQL in a Web-Based Production Environment|last=Burkett|first=Scott|year=1997|work=Linux Journal|accessdate=29 May 2010}}</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" />

==License==
Despite being offered in [[source code]] form, and being strongly associated with [[Open-source software|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">{{cite book|last1=Komarinski|first1=Mark F.|last2=Collett|first2=Cary|title=Red Hat Linux system administration handbook|year=2000|publisher=Prentice Hall|isbn=978-0-13-025395-8|page=203}}</ref> A typical license for commercial use in 1997 would cost $170,<ref name="lj1997" /> compared to a "five-digit purchase price"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3660|title=Review: MySQL & mSQL|last=Lerner|first=Reuven|year=1999|work=Linux Journal|accessdate=29 May 2010}}</ref> for its full-featured competitors.

==Current status==
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 languages==
mSQL originally supported several host languages:

* [[C (programming language)|C]], included with the software
* [[Perl]]
* [[Java (programming language)|Java]] via mSQL-JDBC
* [[Borland Delphi|Delphi]]
* [[Tcl]]
* [[PHP]]

==See also==
* [[List of relational database management systems]]
* [[Comparison of relational database management systems]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.hughestech.com.au/products/msql/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Msql}}
[[Category:Proprietary database management systems]]
[[Category:1993 software]]